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"West
Side Story" transfers Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet to present-day New
York. The love story of Romeo and Juliet
becomes that of Maria and Tony. The
feud between the houses of the Capulets
and the Montagues is re-created in
one involving two teen-age gangs, the
Jets and the Sharks. The famous balcony
scene of the Shakespeare drama transpires
on a fire-escape of an ugly New York
tenement.
The curtain rises on a bleak scene
representing a warehouse. For the next
five minutes not a word is spoken.
Instead we get an extended dance sequence
by the two gangs, the mood is sinister.
This establishes not only the emotional
climate for the play that follows but
also provides a warning of some of
the impending action. One of these
gangs is the Jets, who are determined
to prevent the invasion into their
territory by any Puerto Rican. The
rival gang, the Sharks, is made up
entirely of Puerto Ricans. Both gangs
arrange a meeting at a dance held in
the neighborhood gymnasium for the
purpose of arranging the time, place
and weapons for a major gang fight,
or "rumble". A climactic
point is here reached with an exciting
mambo dance. At this dance Maria, sister
of Bernardo, leader of the Sharks,
meets and falls in love with Tony,
a member of the rival Jets. Belonging
as they do to enemy camps, Tony and
Maria must henceforth carry on their
love idyll in great secrecy. In the
song and dance sequence, "Somewhere",
they escape from the squalor and grimness
of reality into a fanciful dream world.
In "Maria", Tony gives voice
to his feelings about the girl he has
come to love, and in "I Feel Pretty" Maria
describes her own reactions to the
miracle of love. Their love blossoms
out in a poignant scene on the tenement
fire-escape and in the best ballad
of the score, "Tonight".
They eventually go through a mock marriage
-- which they themselves take more
seriously -- in a bridal shop where
Maria is employed and where the dress
dummies serve as their guests. This
episode finds interpretation in dance
in "One Hand, One Heart".
But the hatred that separates the Jets
and the Sharks also spells doom for
their ill-fated romance. Then the "Rumble" erupts
-- a dramatic incident that once again
finds its equivalent in dance movements
-- Tony kills Maria's brother. She
is ready to forgive Tony, even to elope
with him. But before this can happen,
Tony is killed by an avenging Shark.
(Courtesy of TheaterHistory.com)
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