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♫ Musical Theatre Mash ♫
Narrator: Every time I hear this story it's somewhere different.
For some people it's their local community theatre. Some people -- it happened while they were in high school.
And some people even swear that it happened during previews when the show was on Broadway.
But one thing's for certain it is the best thing
to have ever happened during West Side Story.
West Side Story is Romeo and Juliet in New York. At the end everyone dies.
Basically.
Chino runs in and shoots Tony and he dies in Maria's arms.
Maria takes Chino's gun and threatens everyone else with it.
Well, at least that's the way it's supposed to happen.
The story goes that this poor Chino had some problems with his prop gun.
It wouldn't go off. Now, you'd think a clever actor would perhaps point the
gun and yell out "***!"
Or would just pretend to pull the trigger and hope the audience will play along.
Not this Chino. This Chino was the cleverest actor in the world
and decided to take off his boot,
yell, "Poison boot!"
and then throw it at Tony.
Tony, of course, not knowing what else to do dies. As he's supposed to.
Being poisoned by the poison boot. Now, this will be funny enough.
But this gun is still important. As you may remember Maria picks up the gun and
threatens everyone else with it.
Now, just imagine Maria
walking over to this poison boot,
picking it up and threatening the rest of the gang with it.
Waving it around wildly!
"How much poison is left in this boot, Chino?"
"Enough for you? And you?"
"All of you!"
"How many can I kill, Chino? And will there be enough poison left for me?"
Narrator: (laughing)