SYNOPSIS
The story unfolds as follows:
In a choreographed Prologue entitled “The Months Before”, we meet the Jets and
see them enjoying their ‘turf’. This security is broken with the arrival of Bernardo, a
Puerto Rican, who after a confrontation with the Jets, forms his own gang, the Sharks.
The Prologue concludes with an all-out fight between the two gangs which is broken up by
the arrival of Lt. Schrank and Officer Krupke. After Lt. Schrank has gotten rid of the
Puerto Ricans, Riff, the leader of the Jets, informs his gang that at the gym that night, he
will challenge Bernardo to a decisive Rumble after the dance (“THE JET SONG”).
Riff tries to talk Tony (who has been growing away from the gang) into being his
Lieutenant for the challenge. Tony reluctantly agrees to meet Riff at the dance and sings
about his feelings (“SOMETHING’S COMING”). At THE DANCE AT THE GYM, the two
gangs challenge each other on the dance floor – The Jets led by Riff and his girl, the
Sharks led by Bernardo and Anita. During the frenzied dancing, Tony and Maria meet and
dance to their own music. It is only when they kiss that Riff and Bernardo stop dancing
and spring to action and the challenge is made for a War Council to decide on weapons for
the rumble. Meanwhile Tony is joyful about his new love (“MARIA”) and she comes out on
her fire escape which he climbs and they sing to their love (“TONIGHT” – The Balcony
Scene). The Shark boys bring their girls home and then go off to the War Council (much
to Anita’s annoyance at Bernardo) and she then leads the other Shark girls in making fun
of Rosalia who is eager to return to Puerto Rico (“AMERICA”). At Doc’s Drug Store
(where Tony works), the tension that the Jets feel before the War Council is evident.
Riff calms them down by explaining how they must play it (“COOL”). The Sharks arrive,
weapons are discussed, but due to Tony’s intervention the two leaders agree to a fair fistfight the next night, under the highway.
The next day at the Bridal Shop, Tony explains this to Maria. She insists that any
fight is not good for them and Tony makes a promise to stop the fight. And among the
dress dummies, they stage a mock wedding (“ONE HAND, ONE HEART”). In the Quintet
version of TONIGHT, everyone sings of their expectations that it will be a wonderful,
glorious and victorious night. Under the highway, the fist-fight is going as planned until
Tony arrives, tries to stop the fight and offers his friendship to Bernardo. Enraged,
Bernardo realizes that Tony has been seeing his sister and reveals his switchblade knife.
Seeing this, Riff takes out his own switchblade and they begin to fight (“THE RUMBLE”).
Riff is accidentally stabbed by Bernardo, and Tony reflexively takes Riff’s knife and stabs
Bernardo. The Jets and Sharks begin to fight each other, stopped only by an approaching
police siren. They run off, leaving behind the dead bodies of Riff and Bernardo. The
curtain falls on Act One.
After a brief ENTR’ACTE Maria and her friends sing “I FEEL PRETTY” as Maria
prepares for Tony’s arrival. (Her friends assume she is singing about Chino, her fiancé.)
Then Chino arrives and tells her about the Rumble and that Tony has killed her brother.
Chino gets a gun and goes out in search of Tony. Tony climbs through Maria’s window,
wanting to tell Maria what he has done so he can then go to the police. However, she begs
him to stay with her and together they conjure up a perfect place where there is no
prejudice and no hate (“SOMEWHERE” – Ballet). But suddenly their dream turns into a
nightmare as the deaths of Riff and Bernardo area re-enacted choreographically. Clinging
to Tony desperately, Maria gives herself to him as the lights dim.
Meanwhile, in another alley, the Jet boys try and cover their fears by dealing
comically with the way they are treated by adults (“GEE, OFFICER KRUPKE”). They are
then told about Chino looking for Tony. The Jets decide that they must protect Tony and
run off in all directions, looking for Chino. Anita arrives at the apartment, holding
Bernardo’s jacket and needing to talk to Maria. Finding the bedroom locked, she suspects
the worst. After rushing to the window and seeing Tony running away, Anita explodes (“A
BOY LIKE THAT”) and Maria responds (“I HAVE A LOVE”). She convinces Anita to bring a
message to Tony at Doc’s when Maria is delayed by Lt. Schrank’s questions.
Anita arrives at the drug store to bring Maria’s message to Tony (who is hiding in
the basement). But the Jets won’t allow her to go downstairs and begin to taunt her –
finally almost raping her (“TAUNTING”). Rather than deliver Maria’s message, shattered
and yet furious, she tells the Jets that Chino has shot Maria. Figuring that they can do no
more, the Jets file out into the Street. Doc tells Tony what Anita has said and Tony
rushes into the street, wanting Chino to kill him too.
In the schoolyard, Tony sees Maria, at first thinking it is in his mind, but then
realizing it is really her and they run to each other. It is at this moment that Chino shoots
Tony.
In Tony’s dying moments, Maria tries to help him remember their dream. This is
observed by the shocked members of both gangs. Maria takes Chino’s gun but finds she
cannot hate enough to kill. She reaches out to the Jets and Sharks, and together they lift
the body and form a procession, not unlike the one in the “SOMEWHERE BALLET”. Maria
follows the procession – if not triumphant, at least hopeful (“FINALE”).
[Extrapolated from CD liner notes provided by director Jeffrey Dunn]