Upper West Side Story the next morning. The poem was ultimately included in a scene in which Neal is teaching an English class. Kenny Herzog of "The A.V. Club" pointed out that the episode contained various references to Shakespearian and Victorian-era literature, specifically mentioning "Romeo and Juliet". He stated that these metaphors helped move the plot forward. The initial broadcast of the episode drew 3.472 million viewers, and earned a 1.1 rating in the 18–49 demographic. "Upper West Side Story" ranked seventh place among cable series for the night in the 18–49 demographic and fourth in its timeslot, surpassed by "Teen Mom 2", "Storage
West Side Story was originally intended for Cunegonde in "Candide". The music of "Gee, Officer Krupke" was pulled from the Venice scene in "Candide". Laurents explained the style that the creative team finally decided on: The show was nearly complete in the fall of 1956, but almost everyone on the creative team needed to fulfill other commitments first. Robbins was involved with "Bells Are Ringing", then Bernstein with "Candide", and in January 1957 "A Clearing in the Woods", Laurents' latest play, opened and quickly closed. When a backers' audition failed to raise any money for "West Side Story" late in the spring of