balcony vs fire escape

One of the biggest things that stood out to me in West Side Story was the rendition of the balcony scene. I thought the best part about it was that it was so obviously the modern equivalent of the balcony scene; it simply wouldn’t have worked if no one got the connection. So having it on the fire escape was a great choice; the location of Maria being suspended above Tony, her parents being close enough to call out to her, Tony having to run off afterwards. It seems obvious to have all of these characteristics to the scene but their absence would have been blaringly obvious. As such, it was the physical location, the actual scenery, that got my attention.
Of all the time spent on the fire escape scene, it was the classes’ reaction to Tony’s proposal of love that was most the interesting part. In reading Romeo and Juliet it was easy to forget that it had been a matter of hours between when the two met and when they were professing their love. While watching the movie it was easier to see how little time had passed between when Maria and Tony met. The general reaction from people, including myself, was to snicker when the ‘I love you’s’ were exchanged. It seemed so premature that it really stuck out. I think the reason it was so obvious in the movie was the ‘plain English.’ Without the flowery words it was easier to see how quickly the courtship progressed. Plus, in the original Shakespearian, it’s easier to put aside modern opinions on dating and simply go where the story takes us. But in the modern version, that cushion of the past is gone and everything that happens is judged by current standards.