West Side Story

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.

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