Stephen Sondheim lyrics for a musical version of "The Exception and the Rule"; according to Robbins, Bernstein would not work without Sondheim. When Sondheim agreed, Guare asked: "Why haven't you all worked together since "West Side Story"?" Sondheim answered, "You'll see". Guare said that working with Sondheim was like being with an old college roommate, and he depended on him to "decode and decipher their crazy way of working"; Bernstein worked only after midnight, and Robbins only in the early morning. Bernstein's score, which was supposed to be light, was influenced by his need to make a musical statement. Stuart Ostrow, who
Side by Side by Sondheim Martin, Julia McKenzie, Kernan, and Ned Sherrin as the narrator, and agreed to produce it. In the TV documentary "Cameron Mackintosh: The Music Man" Mackintosh admits that he never saw the benefit performance but Christopher Biggins did and he went on his recommendation. The musical is in the form of a revue, with various sections tied together by being from a particular Sondheim musical, or having a common theme, and all of it tied together by the Narrator. He explains what show the songs are from, and in some cases provides background on why a song was written. He also