Laurel Petrulionis Even our Musicals?

On September 11, 2001, the world as we knew it changed. It changed our viewpoints, our securities, and our way of life. It also created stereotypes and prejudices between the “normal” Americans and those of Middle Eastern descent. But little did we know that the world would alter to the point of transforming a popular Broadway play. Though West Side Story is normally known as a modern version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Russell Stiles has twisted this famous plot into a metaphor for our dark and prejudiced times

When I sat down in my lovely seat, 9E in section A, of the highschool auditorium, the first thing that I noticed was the highly detailed set, with a skyline of New York City from across the Hudson in the background. My friends and I pointed out funny graffiti on the set and looked through the program for people we knew, but something bugged me. It wasn’t until the scene where Andrew Pramuk, amazed the audiance with his talented portrayal of Riff, and Nate, who played Tony, got into an argument that it struck me. If we were in West Side NY, then the skyline should display the Twin Towers in the foreground. After I noticed their absence, the play about two fighting cultures took on a whole new meaning for me.

In scenes such as the dance or the gang fight, the play showed not only the hatred between the Jets and the Sharks, but the stereotypes and prejudices within our contemporary world. The Jets, who enjoy the favor of the police and the town, represent the Americans, while the Sharks, who are underprivileged immigrants, hated for their differences, represent the Islamic society we are told are “Terrorists.” Though the lines and actions of the play did not need to be changed at all to portray this metaphorical interpretation, the one clue, left for those of us who noticed it, was the subtraction of the Twin Towers in the NYC skyline. This production was post 9/11.

The play itself was generally well-acted, though the microphones did go haywire a few times. The actors portrayed their emotions clearly, and they spoke their lines so we could understand them. I truly felt Maria's grief when Tony died. A few actors just amazed me, and all of them were cast in their perfect role. Russell Stiles proved his directing ability over and over again, and his metaphor was everlasting even until the very end; in even the most technologically advanced and supposedly civilized age, the races can finally stop hating each other, and start to get along, once all of the leading male roles are killed.