Cathy AngProfessor Matthew Sheppard Smith

Scene Study Questions

Scene: A Boy Like That/I Have a Love from West Side Story

1. Historical Factsa. Who wrote the musical?i. Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheimb. When was it written?i. First performance: September 26, 1957c. What was the political and social environment of the time?i. In the 1950s, there was the largest wave of migration of Puerto Ricans to New York called The Great Migration. In 1953 alone, 75,000 came to New York City. Unfortunately, many of them were unable to find work, leaving many Puerto Ricans in poverty. Many immigrants tried to find work in factories, but they were heavily discriminated against. They were banned from private establishments, and had virtually no voice in the political theatre to increase their rights. When the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party planned to assassinate President Truman, the discrimination only increased. Puerto Ricans formed their own barrios in the city, bringing their culture with them to America. Like in the show, there was constant gang warfare in New York between Puerto Ricans and Americans. Jerome Robbins actually kept the cast members playing the Sharks and the Jets separate in order to help them understand the reality of gang violence.2. Answer the following questions:a. When does it take place?i. Mid-1950sb. Where does it take place?i. An ethnic, blue-collar, Upper West Side neighborhood in New Yorkc. Who are you and to whom are you talking?i. I am Maria, a recent Puerto Rican immigrant to New York City. I am am expected to fulfill the traditional female role of working as a seamstress until my parents find me a Puerto Rican boy to marry. However, I love Tony, who is white and heavily connected to the Jets, the rival working-class gang of the Sharks. I am talking to Anita, who is my brothers girlfriend and who I basically love like I would my sister.d. What do you want?i. I want Anita to understand and support my relationship with Tony.e. Why do you want it?i. I need her blessing because I respect her and I want her to help us escape this neighborhood.f. What happened prior to the scene?i. Tony killed my brother Bernardo in the rumble between the Jets and the Sharks. He came to my room and I forgave him. We planned to leave the neighborhood to escape the police and the violence so that we could be free to love each other, and then we slept together. Anita came to the door and Tony tried to sneak away, but we were caught and she knows that he was there.