West Side Story is one of the darkest musical dramas of its time. It changed the face of musicals forever with its dark themes and social commentary. Opening in 1957, on September the 26th at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York, no one in the audience could have predicted the heartache and social cognizance they would be taking away from this modern day musical. Set in an ethnic, working class neighbourhood of New York in the 1950’s, West Side Story elaborates on issues such as racism, sexism and blue collar frustration, all of which are still evident today. It was the simmering aggression of a society affected by the ever-consuming depression of the Cold War. It was fuelled by the rebellious nature of such literature as Catcher in the Rye and conflicted by the constant internal struggle with avid racism. The frustrating 1950’s was an uneasy time of restlessness within day to day life. The Second World War had only been over for half a decade. With the Korean War and the Cold War looming over the whole of America, …show more content…
They are warned by Lt. Schrank and Officer Krupke to stop fighting on their beat. The police chase the Sharks off, and then the Jets plan how they can assure their continued dominance of the street. The Jets ' leader, Riff, suggests setting up a rumble with the Sharks. He plans to make the challenge to Bernardo, the Sharks ' leader, that night at the neighbourhood dance. Riff wants to convince his friend and former member of the Jets, Tony, to meet the Jets at the dance. Some of the Jets are unsure of his loyalty, but Riff is adamant that Tony is still one of them. Riff meets Tony while he 's working at Doc 's Drugstore to persuade him to come. Tony initially refuses, but Riff wins him over. Tony is convinced that something important is round the