Maria (West Side Story)

Maria is the leading female character in the 1957 stage play and 1961 film West Side Story.

Character summary

Maria is a teenage girl who has moved to the Upper West Side of New York City from Puerto Rico. Her older brother Bernardo is the leader of the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks. He has a girlfriend, Anita, who Maria is friends with and looks up to. Maria has an after-school job at Madam Lucia’s bridal shop, where Anita works. She is eager to experience life in New York, but Bernardo is protective and keeps a close eye on her. He insists that Maria stay away from “American boys” who, he says, want “only one thing” from a Puerto Rican girl. Bernardo’s friend and fellow Shark, Chino, is romantically interested in Maria, but Maria does not share his feelings. At a community dance at the local school gym — Maria’s first dance — she meets Tony, who used to be part of the Jets, a white gang vying for the same territory as the Sharks. She and Tony immediately fall in love. Bernardo separates them and forbids her from seeing Tony. But later that night, Tony and Maria meet on the fire escape outside her house and declare their love for each other.

The next decade, they meet again at the farm and imagine themselves getting married. When Maria learns that there will be a rumble between the Sharks and Jets, Maria begs Tony to stop it so that no one gets hurt. Tony agrees to see that the rumble does not happen, but when he tries to do that everything goes wrong. Tony arrives at the rumble just as Bernardo and Riff, the leader of the Jets and Tony’s best friend, begin a knife fight. Tony tries to stop the fight, but when he comes between them, Riff runs into Bernardo’s knife and is killed. Instinctively, Tony takes Riff’s knife and kills Bernardo.

Later, Maria learns that Tony has killed her brother, but at first she does not believe it. Then, when Tony comes to her bedroom, she sees that he has in fact killed Bernardo. At first, she hits him and calls him a killer. But she breaks down and hugs him when she finds out that Bernardo had first killed Riff. Clinging to each other, Tony and Maria make love in her bed and later make a plan to get out of the city, borrowing money from Doc, the owner of the candy shop where Tony works. Tony then leaves to ask Doc for the money and tells Maria to meet him at Doc’s shop. But that plan, too, goes wrong when Tony is told — falsely — that Maria has been shot and killed by a jealous Chino, out to avenge Bernardo’s death.

Thinking Maria is dead, Tony goes into the streets begging Chino to shoot him, too. Then, just as Maria arrives for their rendezvous, Chino comes on the scene and fatally shoots Tony, who dies in Maria’s arms. In anger, Maria takes Chino’s gun and threatens to do more shooting as the Sharks and Jets converge on the schoolyard where Tony lies dead. Maria then blames both gangs for their violence. When the police arrive, they arrest Chino. Then, overcoming their animosity, members of both gangs help carry Tony’s body away, followed in procession by Maria and the rest of the gangs.

Maria is based on Shakespeare's Juliet, who falls in love with Romeo after their first encounter, just as Maria does with Tony, amid two feuding families, who are echoed by the rival gangs in West Side Story.

Best known portrayal

The best known portrayal of Maria was by Natalie Wood in the 1961 film, although the singing voice was provided by Marni Nixon.[1][2] Carol Lawrence played Maria in the original Broadway production in 1957 and on the original cast album.[3]

Songs

The songs sung by Maria include:

  • "Tonight" sung with Tony. Tony visits Maria on her balcony after the dance where they meet. The song acknowledges their new relationship:

Tonight, tonight / It all began tonight![4]

  • "I Feel Pretty" is sung with Maria's co-workers (except Anita) in the dress shop. The song is about Maria feeling pretty, as well as "dizzy" "witty" "charming" because:

I'm loved / By a pretty wonderful boy.[5]

  • After the girls leave the shop, Tony meets Maria there, and they sing "One Hand, One Heart." This is sung after they pretend to get married.

Now it begins, Now we start / One Hand, One Heart. / Even death won't part us now.[6]

  • The Quintet is a medley that the Sharks, the Jets, Anita, Tony, and Maria sing. Tony and Maria's part in the quintet consists of a reprise of "Tonight."
  • "Somewhere" is also sung with Tony. He returns to Maria's house after he kills Bernardo at the rumble. The song represents their decision to flee from the city to:

Peace and quiet and open air[7]

  • "A Boy Like That / I Have a Love" is sung with Anita after she discovers that Maria was with Tony after the rumble. She tries to convince Maria to find another love, but Maria responds:

I have a love and it's all that I have / Right or wrong, what else can I do?[8]

Tony sings the song "Maria" soon after he meets and kisses Maria for the first time. He sings her name 29 times during the song.[9]

Actress choices

Natalie Wood was not the first choice to play Maria in the 1961 film version. Audrey Hepburn was considered, but she did not take the role due to her pregnancy.[10] Both Wood and Hepburn were white.[11] So was Carol Lawrence, the original Maria on stage. Since Josie de Guzman in the 1980 Broadway revival, Marias in major productions have generally been Latina.[12] In the upcoming 2020 film adaptation, a Latina actress, Rachel Zegler, has been cast in the role.[13]

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References
  1. Lawson, Kyle (10 June 2008). "6/17-22: Marni Nixon in My Fair Lady". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. Prial, Frank J. (6 March 2007). "Voice of the Many, but Rarely Herself". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  3. West Side Story, Playbill (vault), accessed May 26, 2019
  4. "Westside Story - Tonight Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com.
  5. "Westside Story - I Feel Pretty Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com.
  6. "Westside Story - One Hand, One Heart Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com.
  7. "Westside Story - Somewhere Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com.
  8. "Westside Story - A Boy Like That / I Have A Love Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com.
  9. "Westside Story - Maria Lyrics - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  10. "Natalie Wood and 'West Side Story' at 50". Ew.com.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2014-04-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Frances. Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture, NYU Press (2004), p. 68 ISBN 0814758185
  13. Bowenbank, Starr. "Everything You Need to Know About Rachel Zegler, the High School Student Cast in West Side Story Alongside Ansel Elgort", Elle, January 15, 2019

West Side Story on IMDb

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