Essay, Research Paper: West Side Story

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 that we would attend the play that West Side Story.
Hoping it would be a good experience.
As we entered the theater my eyes were swayed to the left and right taking in all
of the history of the building. I saw old ceilings and walls with different mill machines
with in them. I also 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 began to notice 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 booklets on the play 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 with in the West Side Story plot. I
was introduced to the two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks(the Puerto Ricans). They
continued on to identify the hostility of these two gangs through song and dance and of
course acting. Every scene change was not a change through curtain, but a change by
spotlight. This part I enjoyed more 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 acting that I felt the tears of sadness reach my eyes 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 highly praise the Mainstage Acting Company on what a terrific
performance they held.


Word Count: 520