Before the Show
West Side Story was performed at the Walton Arts Center a few weeks ago. I gladly signed up for the special event with the UofA Visiting Student Program as I believe it is a great way of experiencing and exploring the U.S. culture to watch a Broadway show. This program allowed me to have an opportunity to enjoy the second Broadway show experience in my life. I had seen Mamma Mia! five years ago in Korea and this musical definitely became my favorite. All of the songs were beautiful and the story was very interesting. So I was really looking forward to watching West Side Story.
Although West Side Story is a very famous classic piece, I did not know much about it unfortunately. I had never watched a movie before either. So, I asked my friend about its storyline. She said it was similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet. (This explanation helped me to understand the show so much more easily!) She also told me that it was a story about two gangs of different ethnic groups: one group is White Americans and the other group is Puerto Ricans. I learned that the heroine would speak Spanish and some other parts during the show would be also in Spanish. So, I was nervous and worried if I would be able to fully understand the story.
Some of participants after the show
Despite my concerns, West Side Story was interesting and very entertaining! Performance was very well organized and all the dancers were wonderful. The voices of two main characters were beautiful. One of my favorites was the song called, Tonight (Youtube link). It was such a sweet song and the lyrics –Tonight, tonight, it all began tonight. I saw you, and the world went away.– showed their real love regardless of their background differences. The musical was wonderful except one last part; the way the show ended was different from what I expected and it made me sad! However, I truly enjoyed this Broadway musical experience at the Walton Arts Center.
Since I came to Fayetteville, I have already visited Walton Arts Center several times to watch and enjoy musicals, concerts and plays. It has been one of my favorite things to do in Fayetteville. I like how convenient the location is by being close to the UofA campus. It is a great facility to enjoy arts. I would love to visit Walton Arts Center again in near future. If you have not been to the Walton Arts Center or have not watched musicals or shows, I strongly recommend you to utilize there to enjoy arts and cultural activities there!
By Bo Kyung Shin
Bo Kyung in beautiful Hanbok
Bo Kyung has been exploring the U.S. culture and sharing her own culture with the community actively since she came to Fayetteville as a visiting student. We are happy to know that Walton Arts Center has offered various activities outside of classrooms to maximize her study abroad experience!