Stephen Sondheim In 1957, "West Side Story" opened; directed by Jerome Robbins, it ran for 732 performances. Sondheim has expressed dissatisfaction with his lyrics, saying that they do not always fit the characters and are sometimes too consciously poetic. While Bernstein was working on "Candide", Sondheim reportedly wrote some of "West Side Story"s music; Bernstein's co-lyricist credit disappeared from "West Side Story" during its tryout, possibly as a trade-off. Sondheim insisted that Bernstein told the producers to list him as the sole lyricist. He described the division of the royalties, saying that Bernstein received three percent and he received one percent. Bernstein
Written in the Stars (Elton John and LeAnn Rimes song) one with Rimes performing the first verse, the other with John. The song was later featured on Rimes' 2002 album "I Need You" and the concept album for the musical. The song was performed live at VH1 Divas Live 1999. According to an episode of VH1's "Pop-Up Video", the music video for this song was meant to evoke forbidden loves, as well as the separation between the two singers. Rimes was shown in colder, more heavenly backdrops; John was given warmer backgrounds, as in a milder depiction of hell. Written in the Stars (Elton John and LeAnn Rimes song) "Written