West Side Story Essay, Research Paper

During my vacation in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, my two friends and I came

across The Papermill Theater. An old run down mill, turned into a theater, with

lots of history. We all decided to attend the play , West Side Story, hoping it

would be a good experience. As we entered the theater my eyes swayed from left

to right taking in all the history of the building. I saw old ceilings and walls

with different mill machines with in them. I came across the old set up of the

building consisting of a rundown stage with many scene props and dusty old

chairs. These chairs really stood out, they were all differently designed and

all different types. Some were folding chairs while others were cushion movie

like chairs. As the three of us discovered our seats we noticed how popular the

show really is, as a matter of fact all 100 seats ended up being filled. After

everyone was seated I took out my program booklets and began to read about the

backgrounds of the actors and actresses. I discovered that they were all

professional actors and actresses and had produced three well-liked plays

already this summer. These plays were ?Anything Goes?, ?She Loves Me?,

and of course ?West Side Story?. As I continued to read I also cited the

pictures and the descriptions of every actor. I became very anxious to see what

was to come of this production. The lights finally went out and I was instantly

enthralled with the cast and plot. The play focused around the two gangs, the

Jets and the Sharks(the Puerto Ricans). They continued on to identify the

hostility of these two gangs through song dance and of course acting. Every

scene change was not a done with a curtain, but rather a spotlight. This

technique I enjoyed and found very intriguing to watch. As the actors toured me

through the play act by act I enjoyed it more and more. I even felt suspense

while the fights went on and the couples fell in love. By the end of the play I

was so caught up in the moment that I felt the tears of sadness as I wept for

the awful death of Tony and how much sadness it brought to not only Maria, but

also the other gangs too. In fact both gangs felt so much sadness that they all

assisted the carrying off of Tony to his grave. At that moment I knew Tony?s

death resulted in peace between both gangs. The play was a tragedy, but did have

a rather positive ending in one way. This production was such a wonderful

experience for me that I would totally consider going back to see another one

and more. I give much credit to every actor for the absolutely wonderful job

they did in the play. They made it so real for the audience. I praise the

Mainstage Acting Company on what a terrific performance they held.