WEST SIDE STORY
The curtain rises to reveal a tableau, the "American" Jets in command of their West Side turf. They move about their space in carefree and self-satisfied confidence. The exuberant mood ends quickly as one, then several of the Puerto Rican Sharks appear and challenge the supremacy of the Jets (Prologue). At first the Jets are the easy victors, but as the manpower and strategies of the Sharks continue to grow, the two gangs are soon evenly, heatedly matched. A gang-wide fight erupts and the police arrive to break it up, in the person of the sour Lieutenant Schrank and his flunky, Officer Krupke. After running the Sharks off himself, Schrank warns the Jets that they have to live peacefully with the Sharks if they want to avoid Schrank's more constant, and more unpleasant, presence on the streets. The gang's leader, Riff, decides to solve the matter more efficiently. He tells the Jets that he wants to challenge the Sharks to a rumble, the winner of which will control the streets. Riff also has the idea to pull in his pal Tony, the former leader of the Jets who has now deserted them. Riff and the Jets are confident that they will carry the day (Jet Song).
Since leaving the gang, Tony has taken a job as a helper in Doc's candy store. He is painting a sign for the store when Riff appears to lay out the plan. Tony resists the attempt to bring him into the challenge; he has given up street life in search of something better, though he admits that he has not discovered the thing he is seeking. Riff uses the friendship to persuade Tony to join him in challenging the Sharks' leader, Bernardo. With some apparent misgivings Tony agrees to meet Riff and the Jets at a community dance that evening. After Riff leaves, Tony expresses the hope that he will soon make the promising discovery that has eluded him so far (Something's Coming).
Inside a local bridal shop, a pretty and lively young woman named Maria is having a dress made over to wear at the upcoming dance. She discusses with her friend Anita some aspects of her new life since her recent arrival in America. It emerges that Maria is the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks, and Anita is his girlfriend. Anita is the wiser of the two young women, and appears to be something of a confidante to the younger, more innocent Maria. Maria expresses her uncertainty over her engagement to Bernardo's friend Chino; she too may be searching for something more. Bernardo and Chino enter the shop to escort the ladies to the dance.
Members of both gangs are dancing enthusiastically with their girls in this so-called "neutral territory" and the barriers between them do not seem as pronounced in this social setting (The Dance at the Gym). Those barriers come into sharp focus, however, as the organizer of the dance, Glad Hand, suggests a scheme to bring some harmony to the two hostile sides. The plan backfires as the two gangs undertake a wild challenge dance, which intensifies as the two leaders and their respective partners take up the competition. At the highest point of the dance Tony and Maria spot each other from opposite sides of the hall and step forward to meet. Bernardo breaks it up quickly, warning his sister against any friendship with "one of them." He orders Chino to escort her home. Meanwhile Riff approaches Bernardo to set up the meeting, a "War Council," to which Bernardo heartily agrees. They will meet later that night at the candy store, another piece of neutral territory. Meanwhile, Tony is happily proclaiming the joys of his new discovery (Maria).
Tony makes his way to the building where Maria lives. She steps out on the fire escape and they declare their love for each other (Tonight). Though she warns him of the dangers of their love, he insists he is not like the others and she agrees to meet him again, the following day at the bridal shop at closing time. Tony ducks out just as the Sharks arrive, escorting their girls home. Though Anita tries to calm his worries, Bernardo angrily defends his decision to keep Maria away from Tony and others like him. After the Sharks leave for the War Council, Anita, Rosalia and the girls playfully compare the relative merits of life in Puerto Rico and in New York (America).
The Jets are waiting anxiously in the candy store for the Sharks to arrive. The store owner, Doc, taunts some of them for their arrogance and militaristic pomp. One of the Jets, the hot-headed Action, explodes and returns Doc's fire. Riff warns him and the other Jets against showing their hand, to Doc, to the Sharks or to anybody, and offers a lesson in survival (Cool). The Sharks appear and both gangs sit down to agree to the terms of the rumble that will decide the owner of the street. They are soon interrupted by the arrival of Tony, who steps in and attempts to reduce, if not eliminate most of the possible dangers of the rumble by suggesting the two gangs square off in a fair fight rather than use harmful, possibly fatal weapons. Riff recognizes what he believes is an opportunity to involve Tony in the proceedings and agrees. Bernardo admits that he is looking forward to laying Tony out on the ground, a victory that will provide solutions to both the street wars and the grudge over the budding romance. Riff tells Bernardo that he will not be fighting Tony but instead he will be matched against Riff's second-in-command, Diesel, the best fighter in the gang. Bernardo's shock and disappointment are tempered by the arrival of Schrank, and members of both gangs get into a phony mix, apparently inter-mingling as Schrank had ordered them to do earlier that day. The police officer sees through the shallow ruse and once again orders the Puerto Ricans out. Schrank grills the Jets in vain to learn of the time and place of the rumble, even offering to take their side if matters get out of hand. Unable to shake loose any information, he takes his turn taunting the boys and their various family situations. The Jets storm out, with Schrank close behind. Tony admits to Doc that he has fallen for a Puerto Rican girl, and Doc worriedly perceives this as the reason for Tony's renewed involvement with the gangs.
The following day, Tony appears as agreed at the bridal shop at closing time. He has shown up just a few minutes too early to avoid being caught by the wary Anita. Despite her defensive arguments to Bernardo she is not pleased to see the innocent dance escalating to something more serious. She promises her discretion and warns Maria against being late coming home. Left alone, Maria implores Tony to stop the rumble. Though he has assured her that no one will be hurt in a fair fight, she persuades him to make sure not even a fistfight will occur. This agreed, the young sweethearts playfully imagine the ritual of meeting the families, and then, more seriously, exchange their vows of love and devotion as they act out a wedding scene (One Hand One Heart).
Both gangs are gearing up for the rumble, prepared to defend themselves against stronger aggressions if the unpromising "fair fight" does not settle the matter. Riff ascertains that Tony will show up at the rumble. Anita is preparing herself for a romantic evening with Bernardo, and in separate parts of the neighborhood Maria and Tony once again declare their love as they count the slow-moving hours until they can be together again (Quintet).
The fair fight between Bernardo and Diesel is barely under way when Tony runs in to break it up. Bernardo once again offers a malevolent challenge to fight Tony himself, and identifies Tony's failure to respond as evidence of his cowardice. Bernardo takes vicious pleasure in goading his opponent until Riff jumps in to Tony's defense and silences Bernardo with a fist. The inevitable results of this fatal attack ensue, with Tony held back and unable to interfere any further. Switchblades appear and the one-on-one battle occurs at last (The Rumble). After losing and re-gaining his own weapon, Riff ultimately falls dead at Bernardo's hand. Tony picks up his friend's knife and stabs Bernardo in retaliation. A free-for-all breaks out between the gangs, ending abruptly at the sound of approaching police cars. Tony numbly surveys the bodies, then finally makes his weary escape.
Unaware of the tragedies taking place not too far away, Maria is gaily preparing to meet Tony as arranged. Without revealing too much specific information to her visiting friends, she is bouyant in her declaration of love and happiness (I Feel Pretty). The friends leave when Chino, understood to be the object of Maria's elation, appears. Chino confronts Maria's belief that there was no fight, reluctantly revealing that the rumble not only took place but got tragically out of hand. Betraying her anxiety for Tony's safety, she is angrily told that Tony killed her brother. Chino leaves the stunned Maria but not before finding a revolver hidden among Bernardo's belongings. Tony appears to face Maria's anguish. He attempts to explain the accidental chain of events that resulted in the two deaths. Maria begs him not to go to the police, to stay with her and find with her a place free of cruelty and hatred where they can just be themselves together. The dream is fleshed out as they wander through the fantasy of a perfect world where Jets and Sharks come together in peace and harmony (Somewhere). The serenity and promise of a better world is shattered by the re-appearance of Riff and Bernardo, who, with Tony, re-enact the killings, and the futility of the dream is exposed. Denied the hope of a better existence, a defeated Tony and Maria cling to one another and close off the rest of the world, if only temporarily.
Out on the streets, the Jets re-group as they manage to evade the interrogating bullying of Officer Krupke. While some are apprehensive about being taken in to be questioned, two of them, Action and Snowboy, state they have already been hauled in and have told the police exactly what they expect to hear, no more, no less (Gee, Officer Krupke). They learn that Chino is hunting Tony down with a gun, and they split up to track Tony down and keep him safe.
Anita comes to Maria for mutual consolation, affronted to find the door to the bedroom locked. Tony ducks out the bedroom window, after making Maria promise to meet him at Doc's and run away with him. Bursting into the room, Anita stormily accuses Maria of faithlessness to her brother and to her heritage (A Boy Like That). Maria persuades Anita that she loves Tony and nothing else in the world matters (I Have a Love). Anita tells Maria that Chino is searching for Tony to kill him. Maria's attempt to rush out to protect him is stopped by the entrance of Schrank, who wants to question Maria about events at the dance, a possible lead in the murders. Anxiously, Maria pleads with Anita to run over to Doc's and tell Tony why she is delayed. Anita hesitates, then agrees to go.
The Jets have Tony safely stowed away in the cellar of Doc's store by the time Anita arrives. They try to discourage her from seeing Doc and despite her insistence they do not believe she is actually trying to help, thinking instead that she is ascertaining Tony's presence downstairs with the intention of alerting Chino. Some bullying of Anita gives way to cruel, pitiless mauling, and Anita is thrown to the floor in submission (The Taunting). Doc comes in at last, too late to have spared her this wretched humiliation. In a final burst of vengeance she spits out the lie that Chino has ended the romance by killing Maria. The Jets file out of the store, all bravado gone.
Doc descends the stairs to the cellar to tell Tony that Maria has been shot and killed. Enraged, Tony rushes to the street, calling Chino's name, begging to be killed as well. To his great joy and amazement Maria appears, and he rushes into her waiting arms. Just as he reaches her, a terrible gunshot rings out, and Tony falls to his death. The Jets and Sharks, their girls, Doc and Glad Hand appear as Maria bids her lover farewell. In her grief, Maria takes the gun and threatens all of them as punishment for their complicity in all three deaths. Schrank and Krupke rush in as Maria drops the gun in abject surrender. Jets and Sharks come together to lift Tony's body from the ground and carry him off. Others start to walk behind them, a small procession forms. Maria's discarded shawl is retrieved. She stands, and walks slowly behind the others, following them out, as the final curtain falls.
Synopsis of Scenes