(spoilers, unsurprisingly)
I only have a general familiarity with WSS, so my thoughts may not be completely supported by the text. But I don't think it's strange that the Jets are more featured than the Sharks because the Jets are Tony's milieu, but the Sharks aren't really Maria's milieu. She's not a Shark. We see her at the bridal shop, and with Anita; that's her milieu.
In terms of the relative emphasis on Tony vs Maria, Laurents could have emphasized them both equally in the beginning, but I think the musical's structure is much more interesting. Tony is an easy entry point for the Broadway audience member in the 1950s, so it makes sense to start with him. Maria is younger, has less life experience and is less fully "formed," so she starts the musical a bit less fully formed as well. Then, as the show progresses, there is a shift more towards Maria, because she has to carry out their legacy after the curtain falls. For her to be the one left standing in some ways seems natural with the shifting emphasis over the course of the show. And Maria has grown over the course of the show. The Maria of the final scene is not the same Maria we first met. I'm not sure Tony has changed as much. |
