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
The Sondheim Review The Sondheim Review The Sondheim Review was a quarterly magazine published in Chicago, United States, by Ray Birks starting in 1994. Per its tagline, it was "Dedicated to the work of the Musical Theatre's foremost composer and lyricist," Stephen Sondheim. It was originally edited by Paul Salsini; starting in 1994, Cincinnati theatre critic Rick Pender became its managing editor; its editorial board included Chicago theatre columnist John Olson, drama critic and university professor Eric Grode, university professor Paul M. Puccio, and theater journalist Russell M. Dembin. Sondheim wrote occasional short items for the magazine, although he was not formally connected