West Side Story

At the beginning of Act II, Consuela, Rosalia, and Francisca wait in Maria’s bedroom as Maria dresses up. Maria confides in the girls that there isn’t going to be a rumble and that tonight is her wedding night. Maria is giddy, and her friends tease her, calling her “out of her mind” (79). Maria sings “I Feel Pretty” about her joyous mood, declaring, “I feel stunning and entrancing–feel like running and dancing for joy, for I’m loved by a pretty wonderful boy!” (80). The girls sing, claiming, “she isn’t in love, she’s merely insane” (80). But Maria’s happiness is infectious, and the girls join in. After the song, Chino calls up to Maria, and Rosalia refers to him as “the happy bridegroom” (83). The girls meet Chino in the parlor, and Maria notices that Chino looks like he has been in a fight. Chino admits that he has. He tells Maria that the rumble happened and that there was a knife. Maria cuts him off, asking, “Tony. What happened to Tony?” (86). Angrily, Chino snaps, “He killed your brother” (86). As he leaves, Chino finds an object, wrapped in Bernardo’s shirt. It’s a gun, which Chino puts in his pocket. 

Alone, Maria cries, praying for it not to be true. Tony enters. She sobs, hitting his chest with her fists, repeating the word “killer” (86) over and over before melting into his arms, kissing him. Tony tells her, “I tried to stop it; I did try. I don’t know how it went wrong… […] But Riff… Riff was like my brother. So when Bernardo killed him – […] I didn’t come to tell you. Just for you to forgive me so I could go to the police” (87). Maria begs him to stay with her instead of turning himself in. They sing, “Somewhere there must be a place we can feel we’re free” (88). The scene melts into a dream ballet. In the ballet, “the two lovers begin to run, battering against the walls of the city, breaking through as chaotic figures of the gangs, of the violence flail around them. But they do break through and suddenly–they are in a world of space and air and sun” (88). As they dance, a girl sings “There’s a place for us, somewhere a place for us” (89). The Sharks and the Jets come together. Suddenly, Bernardo enters, everything stops, and “the dream becomes a nightmare” (89). They reenact the knife fight and Riff and Bernardo die again. Maria and Tony can’t reach each other. The lovers continue to sing “Somewhere” desperately.

Scene 2 opens in an alley, and the Jets are hiding. None of them have been home or seen Tony. A-rab laments, “I wish it was yesterday” (92). Sergeant Krupke spots A-rab and Baby John and calls out. The Jets try to act casual as Krupke accuses, “I know you was rumbling under the highway” (93). Baby John and A-rab claim that they were at the playground, and Krupke decides to take them in to the station. Baby John pushes Krupke down, and they run off in opposite directions. Krupke chooses one and runs after him. When he’s gone, A-rab and Baby John reappear. Action and Snowboy tell them that they have already been to the station. 

Snowboy complains, “Cops believe everything they read in the papers” (94). Action adds, “To them we ain’t human. We’re cruddy juvenile delinquents. So that’s what we give ‘em” (94). Snowboy mimics Krupke, threatening to haul the boys in. Action sings “Gee Officer Krupke” in which they act out an arrest and trial, jokingly blaming their everyone else for their delinquency. For instance, Action sings, “Dear kindly judge, your honor, my parents treat me rough. With all their marijuana, they won’t give me a puff” (96). Anybodys enters, and the boys tease her as usual. She mocks them for doing nothing instead of finding Tony, offering to “infiltrate PR territory and spy around” (101). Anybodys reveals that she heard Chino promising to get Tony. Action asserts, “Tony came through for us Jets. We gotta find him and protect him from Chino” (102). They head off to search. Action tells Anybodys, “You done good, buddy boy” (103). Anybodys, who “has fallen in love” (103), replies, “Thanks, daddy-o” (103).  

Scene 3 rises in Maria’s family’s apartment. Tony and Maria are asleep in bed. Anita knocks on the door, crying and calling Maria’s name. Tony whispers to Maria, “Doc’ll help. I’ll get money from him. You meet me at his drugstore” (104). Maria agrees, and Tony leaves. She lets Anita in the room. Anita “looks at the bed; at the window; then turns accusingly to Maria” (105). Maria says, “All right: now you know” (105). Angrily, Anita cries, “And you still don’t know. Tony is one of them!” (105) She sings, “A boy like that who’d kill your brother, forget that boy and find another! One of your own kind – stick to your own kind” (105). Maria interjects, arguing, and they sing counterpoint. Then Maria changes the song, singing, “I have a love, and it’s all that I have. Right or wrong, what else can I do?” (106).

Anita tells Maria that Chino is searching for Tony with a gun. Maria is frantic. She says, “I love Tony” (107). Anita replies, “I know. I loved Bernardo” (107). Lieutenant Schrank enters, explaining that he needs to ask Maria some questions. Maria tries to leave, and Schrank suddenly recognizes her from the dance. He asks Maria to name the boy she danced with that made her brother so angry. Maria claims that she has a headache, asking Anita, “Will you go to the drugstore and tell them what I need?” (108). Anita understands, replying, “Shall I tell him to hold it for you till you come?” (109). After Anita leaves, Maria tells Schrank that the boy at the dance was Puerto Rican, and his name is José.

In the drugstore, Scene 4 begins with the Jets talking about Tony, who is downstairs helping Doc. Anita enters, asking to see Doc. The boys harass her roughly, refusing to allow her past. Anita asserts, “I’ve got to give a friend of yours a message. I’ve got to tell Tony–” (112). The boys lie that he isn’t there. Even as Anita tells them that she wants to stop Chino and help Tony, they insult her, calling her “a greaseball” and “Bernardo’s tramp” (113). They begin to attack her, shoving her to the floor. Doc interrupts, stopping them. Anita bites, “Bernardo was right… if one of you was bleeding in the street, I’d walk by and spit on you” (114). She declares, “I’ll give you a message for your American buddy! Tell the murderer Maria’s never gonna meet him! Tell him Chino fund out and – and shot her!” (114). Furious, Doc kicks them out of the store.

In the cellar, as Scene Five begins, Tony is whistling “Maria” when Doc enters. Tony promises to pay Doc back one day, and that he and Maria will name all of their kids after him. Doc smacks him, crying, “Wake up! […] Why do you live like there’s a war on? Why do you kill?” (116). Gently, Doc passes on Anita’s message that Maria is dead. Shocked, Tony runs off. As Scene Six rises in the neighborhood, Tony enters. He yells out, “Chino?... COME ON: GET ME, TOO!” (117). Anybodys tries to convince Tony to be quiet and hid, and he refuses, continuing to scream for Chino. Suddenly, Maria appears. They call out to each other, and there is a gunshot. Tony falls. Maria holds him, as he says, “I didn’t believe hard enough” (118). The rest of the Sharks and Jets enter. Maria promises Tony that they will get away, singing, “Hold my hand and we’re halfway there” (119). Tony joins in then falls silent, dying in her arms. 

Maria stands, warning the others to “stay back” (119). Chino gives her the gun. She asks coldly, “How many bullets are left, Chino? Enough for you? And you? All of you? WE ALL KILLED HIM; and my brother and Riff. I, too. I CAN KILL NOW BECAUSE I HATE NOW. How many can I kill, Chino? How many–and still have one bullet left for me?” (119-120). But she can’t shoot anyone, and throws the gun away. Lieutenant Schrank and Sergeant Krupke enter, but she screams, “DON’T YOU TOUCH HIM!” (120) and they back off. Maria kisses Tony. Members of both gangs lift his body and process out, mimicking their actions when they came together in the dream ballet. Maria “gets up and despite the tears on her face, lifts her head proudly and triumphantly” (120) and follows them out.