From Muppet Wiki

West Side Story is a 1957 Broadway musical written by Arthur Laurents, with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, about a gang war between a group of Puerto Rican immigrants (the Sharks) and working class white kids (the Jets) in 1950s New York City. The musical, which was conceived and directed by Jerome Robbins, is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The 1961 film version of the musical starred Rita Moreno as Anita, a role which won her an Academy Award, as did the film itself.

Songs from West Side Story performed on The Muppet Show include "America," "A Boy Like That," and "I Feel Pretty." A portion of "Tonight" was featured in Julie on Sesame Street, during the West Side Story portion of the Broadway montage.

References

• "Inside/Outside Story" on Monsterpiece Theater, which featured Anything Muppet parodies of the two main characters, Tony and Maria.

• A 2007 "Ready To Learn" commercial, which parodied "The Jet Song." Instead of the two gangs preparing to brawl, however, Ernie and Theo (from Between the Lions) illustrate to the Kids how rhyming can enhance reading abilities.

• On Sesame Street, Oscar the Grouch sings "There's a Grouchy Place," a parody of the song "Somewhere."

• "Veg Side Story" on Sesame Street's Dinner Theatre sketch.

• The song "Maria" is spoofed on the video Big Bird Gets Lost.