Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the musical West Side Story moves the story to 1950s New York, but instead of warring families, Tony and Maria are associated with rival gangs. Trying to get his life straight, Tony is pulled back into his former gang the Jets, American-born adolescents now led by his best friend, Riff. Maria’s brother Bernardo is the leader of the Sharks, a gang of first-generation Puerto Rican immigrants.

The musical reflects a society that has failed to foster community, instead pitting young people against each other to fight battles rooted in fear of the other. West Side Story offers a powerful message to audiences: hate breeds more hate.