What would've happened if Tony hadn't gone to the Rumble?
There are times when I wonder what would've occurred if Tony, despite what he'd promised Maria, had not gone to the Rumble and just simply let the Jets and the Sharks have it out.
Here are some possibilities, imho, although leaving things to the imagination was one of the beauties of this great classic:
A) There would've just been a fistfight between Ice and Bernardo. Had Ice taken Bernardo, Tony then could've offered to shake hands with Bernardo, and then, if Bernardo had still pushed him away, Tony and Bernardo could've/would've had it out for awhile, with fists. If, on the other hand, Bernardo remained stubborn, Tony could've still fought Bernardo again, and had Bernardo still resisted shaking hands with Tony, both gangs would've been involved in the rumble. Nobody would've been killed, maybe seriously injured, at the most, Tony and Maria would be together, and a truce between the Jets and Sharks would've occurred.
B) There would've still been enmity between the Jets and Sharks, but nobody would've been killed, and the existing enmity would gradually be upstaged and neutralized after several more rumbles, and a permanent truce would've occurred between the two gangs.s
C) The enmity between the Jets and Sharks, although still ongoing, wouldn't be as virulent and pernicious as it had previously been.