They are both
Puerto Rican
. Anita is knowing, sexual and sharp. Maria is excited, enthusiastic and childlike, but also growing into an adult. Maria complains that the dress is too young-looking, but Anita explains that Bernardo, her boyfriend and Maria's brother, made her promise not to make the dress too short.
What were the two ethnic groups in West Side Story?
Two rival teenage gangs,
the Jets (White Americans) and the Sharks (Puerto Ricans)
, struggle for control of their neighborhood on the Upper West Side of New York City (Prologue).
What ethnicity is Maria in West Side Story?
In West Side Story, Maria is of
Puerto Rican descent
. In the 1961 film adaptation she was played by American actor Natalie Wood.
Who was Anita in West Side Story?
Rita Moreno
delivered a legendary performance as Anita in the 1961 film “West Side Story,” earning the Oscar for best supporting actress. But the actress, now 89, had the opportunity to be part of “West Side Story” history years before the classic film came to be.
What is Anita like in West Side Story?
Anita [in West Side Story] was the first Hispanic character I ever played who had a sense of dignity. She
had self-respect, and very strong opinions
, and a deep sense of decency.
Did Tony and Maria sleep together?
Even
though Maria and Tony sleep together
, their relationship is constantly surrounded by dreamy words of love, commitment and wedding imagery. … Later, in “A Boy Like That,” Anita warns Maria to stay away from him as he “wants one thing only” and “he'll kill her love”, like he murdered hers.
Is Maria Puerto Rican in West Side Story?
History. Maria is
a Puerto Rican migrant
. … After she arrived in New York, Bernardo designated himself to be her protector and, to Maria's annoyance, often lords his status as older brother over her. It was arranged for Chino, Bernardo's friend and fellow Shark member, to marry Maria, but Maria shows no interest in him.
How old is Maria in West Side Story?
That will make her
19-years-old
at the time of West Side Story's release. Although it's never explicitly stated, some fans expect that the characters Maria and Tony are around the same age.
Is West Side Story historically accurate?
Although it is a dramatic movie, the 1961 film
West Side Story accurately portrays life in the 1950's
by highlighting many of the social issues of the time. … Therefore, the creators of West Side Story were able to show the results of prejudicial antipathy and teach acceptance in an entertaining venue.
Is Natalie Wood Hispanic?
The
daughter of Russian immigrants
, Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, California, and started performing an early age. Her mother, Maria, enrolled her ballet classes as a small child.
Who is Rita Moreno daughter?
LOS ANGELES — Amid a parade of celebrities in designer gowns were “two happy women getting out of quarantine” and having the most fun — show business legend Rita Moreno and
daughter Fernanda Luisa Gordon
.
Does Anita get assaulted in West Side Story?
If all this isn't enough, West Side Story includes a scene of a rape attempt. … In this adaptation,
he chose to stage Anita's rape explicitly onstage with a camera
zoomed in on the face of Yesenia Ayala, who plays Anita, as her reaction is projected.
Where do Tony and Maria meet in West Side Story?
The boys and the girls sing about the good bad things about life in America. Tony meets Maria
on the fire escape outside her building
, and they confirm what we all suspected: they've got it for each other bad. They know they're on opposite sides of this fight, but they don't care. Love will do that to you.
Who is Maria's brother?
Bernardo
is a Puerto Rican migrant and founder and leader of the Sharks, a Hispanic street gang who are in the midst of a turf war with their archenemies, the Jets. He is the older brother of Maria and is Anita's boyfriend.
Who told Tony that Maria was dead?
If you've read Romeo and Juliet, you probably have a pretty good idea how this one ends, and as much as we love Tony and Maria, a future really just isn't in the cards for them.
Anita
, angry about her treatment by the Jets, gets a phony message to Tony saying that Maria was killed.
