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West Side Story In West Side Story, themes of love, tragedy, and justice are brought to life in dance, song, and music. Leonard Bernstein created a musical based on the Romeo and Juliet story. This updated version is set amid a turf war of two rival street gangs in New York City. The hostility between the Jets and their Puerto Rican rivals, the Sharks, is a modern day counter play of the feud between the Capulet and the Montagues from Shakespeare's play. In this heartbreaking tale, Tony, one of the Jets, and Maria, the sister of Bernardo, meet at a dance and immediately fall in love. Riff (the leader of the Jets) and Bernardo (the leader of the Sharks) bring their two gangs together for a rumble. When Tony tries to stop the fight, Riff is stabbed by Bernardo and Tony in a fit of anger turns and kills Bernardo, mirroring Shakespeare's patt