West Side Story
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This article is about the Broadway musical.
Original Cast Recording
Music Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics Stephen Sondheim
Book Arthur Laurents
Basis William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Productions 1957 Broadway-1958 West End-1959 U.S. tour-1960 Broadway return-1961 Film
1980 Broadway revival-1997 UK tour and West End revival-2008 West End revival and UK tour
2009 Broadway revival and US tour
West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
Set in New York City in the mid-1950s, the musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks from Puerto Rico are taunted by the Jets, a white working-class group.[1] The young protagonist, Tony, one of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre. Bernstein's score for the musical has become extremely popular; it includes "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere", "Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel Pretty", "A Boy Like That", "One Hand, One Heart", "Gee, Officer Krupke" and "Cool".
The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, marked Sondheim's Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1957, but the award for Best Musical went to Meredith Willson's The Music Man; it won a Tony Award for Robbins' choreography. The show had an even longer-running London production, a number of revivals and international productions. The play spawned an innovative 1961 musical film of the same name, directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. The film won ten Academy Awards out of eleven nominations.
The stage musical is produced frequently by schools, regional theatres, and occasionally by opera companies.
Synopsis
Act 1
Two teenage gangs, the Jets (White) and the Sharks (Puerto Rican), struggle for control of the neighborhood, amidst police whistles and taunts (Prologue). They are warned by Lt. Schrank and Officer Krupke to stop fighting on their beat. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. The Jets' leader, Riff, suggests setting up a rumble with the Sharks. He plans to make the challenge to Bernardo, the Sharks' leader, that night at the neighborhood dance. Riff wants to convince his friend and former member of the Jets, Tony, to meet the Jets at the dance, but some of the Jets are unsure of his loyalty ("Jet Song"). Riff meets Tony while he's working at Doc's Drugstore to persuade him to come. Loyal to Riff, Tony agrees, but he wants no further part of gang life and imagines a better future ("Something's Coming").
Maria works in a bridal shop with Anita, the girlfriend of her brother, Bernardo. Maria has just arrived from Puerto Rico, and her family has selected Chino, a member of the Sharks, to be her future husband. Anita makes Maria a dress to wear to the neighborhood dance.
The Shark girls extol the virtues of "America" in Portland Center Stage's production of West Side Story in 2007.At the dance, after introductions, the teenagers begin to dance; soon a challenge dance is called ("Dance at the Gym"), during which Tony and Maria (who aren't taking part in the challenge dance) see each other across the room and are drawn to each other. They dance together, forgetting the tension in the room, fall in love, and try to kiss, but Bernardo pulls his sister from Tony and sends her home. Riff and Bernardo agree to meet for a War Council at Doc's, a drug store which is considered neutral ground, but meanwhile, an infatuated and happy Tony finds Maria's building and serenades her outside her bedroom ("Maria"). He appears on her fire escape, and the two profess their love for one another ("Tonight"). Meanwhile, Anita and the other Shark girls discuss the differences between the territory of Puerto Rico and the mainland United States of America ("América"). The Jets get antsy while waiting for the Sharks inside Doc's Drug Store. They let out all of their aggression in the number ("Cool"). The Sharks arrive to discuss weapons to use in the rumble. Tony suggests "a fair fight" (fists only), which the leaders agree to, despite the other members' protests. Bernardo believes that he will fight Tony, but must settle for fighting Diesel instead. This is followed by a monologue by the ineffective Lt. Schrank trying to find out the location of the rumble. Tony tells Doc about Maria. Doc is worried for them while Tony is convinced that nothing can go wrong; he is in love.
Tony meets Maria at the bridal shop the next day, where they dream of their wedding ("One Hand, One Heart"). She asks Tony to stop the fight, which he agrees to do. Tony, Maria, Anita, Bernardo (and the Sharks), and Riff (and the Jets) all anticipate the events to come that night ("Tonight Quintet"). The gangs meet each other under the highway, and as the fight between Bernardo and Diesel is just beginning, Tony arrives and tries to stop the rumble. Though Bernardo taunts Tony, ridiculing his attempt to make peace and provoking him in every way, Tony keeps his composure. When Bernardo pushes Tony, Riff punches him in Tony's defense. The two draw their switchblades and get in a knife fight ("The Rumble"). Tony warns Riff to back away, but Riff shakes him off and continues the fight. In an important moment of the show, Riff has an opportunity to stab Bernardo, but Tony holds him back. After shaking off Tony, Riff returns to the fight but is accidentally stabbed and killed by Bernardo in the process. Tony then takes Riff's knife and kills Bernardo in a fit of rage. The two gangs then go into a free-for-all. The sound of approaching sirens is heard, and everyone scatters, except Tony, who stands in shock at what he has done. The tomboy Anybodys, who stubbornly wishes that she could become a Jet, tells Tony to flee from the scene at the last moment. Only the bodies of Riff and Bernardo remain.
Act 2
Tony (Justin Gordon) and Maria (Erica Racz) in a Pacific Repertory Theatre production in 2001.In the bridal shop, Maria has not heard the news and daydreams happily about seeing Tony with her friends—Rosalia, Consuelo, Teresita and Francisca ("I Feel Pretty"). Just then, Chino brings the news that Tony has killed Bernardo. Maria flees to her bedroom, praying that Chino is mistaken. Tony arrives to see Maria, and in a fit of rage she throws her fists at him until he finally calms her down and they plan to run away together; as the walls of Maria's bedroom disappear, they find themselves in a dreamlike world of peace ("Somewhere").
The Jets try their hardest to get their minds off the death of Riff by poking fun at all of the adults who try to make sense of what they do ("Gee, Officer Krupke"). The Jets make Action leader of the gang. Anybodys brings news that she overheard Chino planning to hunt down Tony and kill him with a gun. The Jets then spread out to find Tony and protect him from Chino. They also accept Anybodys into the Jets. Anybodys falls in love with Action.
A grieving Anita arrives at Maria's apartment. As Tony leaves, he tells Maria to meet him at Doc's so they can run away to the country. Anita sees that Tony has been with Maria, and asks in horror how she can love the man who killed her brother ("A Boy Like That"). Maria responds passionately with her own song ("I Have a Love"), though, and Anita understands that Maria loves Tony as much as she had loved Bernardo. She admits that Chino has a gun and is looking for Tony.
Lt. Schrank arrives to question Maria, and Anita reluctantly agrees to go to Doc's to tell Tony to wait. At the store, the Jets taunt Anita with racist innuendo and insults. The taunts turn into physical abuse, and Doc returns to the store horrified to find the boys nearly raping Anita. In her anger, Anita, who is in tears, tells the Jets that Bernardo was right about them, and then claims that Chino has killed Maria in jealousy. Anita rushes out of the store. Doc relates the news to Tony, who has been dreaming of heading to the countryside to have children with Maria. Feeling there is no longer anything to live for, Tony leaves to find Chino, begging for him to die as well. Just as Tony sees Maria alive, Chino arrives and shoots Tony. The Jets, Sharks, and adults flock around the lovers. Maria holds Tony in her arms (and sings a quiet, brief reprise of "Somewhere") as he dies. Angry at the death of another friend, the Jets move towards the Sharks but Maria takes Chino's gun and tells everyone that hatred is what killed Tony and the others, and now she can kill, because now she hates, too. However, she is unable to bring herself to fire the gun and drops it, crying in grief. Gradually, all the members of both gangs assemble on either side of Tony's body, showing that the feud is over. The Jets and Sharks form a procession, and together they carry Tony away with Maria being the last one in the procession.
Characters
The Jets
Riff, quick-tempered leader of the Jets
Tony, former Jet leader gone straight
Action /A-Rab /Baby John /Snowboy /Big Deal /Diesel /Gee-Tar /Mouthpiece /Tiger
The Sharks
Bernardo, Maria's brother, leader of the Sharks
Chino, Maria's angry young suitor; Bernardo's friend
Pepe /Indio /Luis /Anxious /Nibbles /Juano /Toro /Moose
The Jets' Girls
Graziella /Velma /Minnie /Clarice /Pauline /Anybodys, a tagalong tomboy
The Sharks' Girls
Maria, Puerto Rican ingenue; Bernardo's sister
Anita, Maria's saucy older friend; Bernardo's girl
Rosalia, Anita's foil in "America" /Consuelo /Teresita /Francisca /Estrella /Margarita
The Adults
Officer Krupke, a cop
Doc, a weary old candy store owner
Glad Hand, a fidgety chaperone
Detective Schrank
Songs
Act 1
"Prologue" (Instrumental) – Jets and Sharks
"Jet Song" – Riff, Action, Baby John, A-rab, Big Deal and Jets
"Something's Coming" – Tony
"Dance At The Gym" (Instrumental) – Jets and Sharks
"Maria" – Tony
"Tonight" – Tony and Maria
"America" – Anita, Rosalia, Shark Girls
"Cool" – Riff and Jets
"One Hand, One Heart" – Tony and Maria
"Tonight Quintet and Chorus" – Anita, Tony, Maria, Bernardo, Riff, Jets and Sharks
"The Rumble" (Dance) – Jets and Sharks
Act 2
"Entr'acte" (Instrumental)
"I Feel Pretty" ("Me Siento Hermosa" in the 2009 revival) – Maria, Consuelo, Rosalia, Teresita, Francisca and Shark Girls
"Somewhere" (Song and Dance) – Company and "Dream Consuelo" (in the 2009 revival, "Kiddo", Tony, Maria, and Company)
"Gee, Officer Krupke" – Action, A-rab, Diesel, Baby John and the Jets
"A Boy Like That" ("Un Hombre Así" in the 2009 revival) / "I Have A Love" – Anita and Maria
"Taunting Scene" (Instrumental) – Anita and Jets
"Finale" – Tony and Maria
Shakespearean basis
Characters
Many of the key characters in West Side Story are based on counterparts in Romeo and Juliet:
Tony/Romeo
Maria/Juliet
Bernardo/Tybalt
Anita/Nurse and Lady Capulet
Riff/Mercutio
Baby John/Benvolio
Doc/Friar Laurence and the Apothecary
Chino/Paris
Jets/Montagues
Sharks/Capulets
Schrank & Officer Krupke/Prince Escalus and Citizens
Action/Sampson
A-Rab/Abraham
Anybodys/Balthasar
Story parallels
Romeo and Juliet starts out with a street fight between the Montagues and Capulets; the Jets and the Sharks have a similar fight.
The beginning fight is broken up by Krupke and Schrank, just as Prince Escalus breaks up the Montague-Capulet fight.
Tony has a reoccurring dream, similar to Romeo like the one he tells Mercutio about.
Juliet is betrothed to Paris, and Maria has been set up with Chino.
Some Montague men crash the Capulet party in which Romeo meets Juliet. In West Side Story, Maria and Tony see each other from opposite sides of the gym and are immediately attracted to each other.
Romeo searches for Juliet and finds her at her balcony. After the dance, Tony finds Maria and uses the fire escape.
Romeo and Juliet go to a Friar to get married; Maria and Tony role-play a wedding during their tryst in the bridal shop.
In the rumble scene, Bernardo kills Riff like Tybalt kills Mercutio; Tony avenges Riff's death by killing Bernardo, just as Romeo kills Tybalt.
The Capulet nurse is played around with and disgraced by Montague men, while Anita is taunted and attacked by the Jets.
Both stories feature Maria/Juliet's false death and Tony/Romeo's suicidal response to his mistaken belief that his love is dead. An enraged Anita, following the attempted rape, deliberately tells the Jets that Chino has killed Maria, instead of conveying the original message of where Tony should meet with her. Juliet fakes her death, but an explanatory message sent to Romeo is delayed, causing him not to know her death is but feigned. Tony seeks out Chino in misery, wishing to die also. Romeo wishes to visit Juliet's grave to take poison and die with her.