Stephen Sondheim suggested evening the percentage at two percent each, but Sondheim refused because he wanted the credit. Sondheim later said he wished "someone stuffed a handkerchief in my mouth because it would have been nice to get that extra percentage". After "West Side Story" opened, Shevelove lamented the lack of "low-brow comedy" on Broadway and mentioned a possible musical based on Plautus' Roman comedies. When Sondheim was interested in the idea he called a friend, Larry Gelbart, to co-write the script. The show went through a number of drafts, and was interrupted briefly by Sondheim's next project. In 1959, Sondheim was
The Sondheim Review Managing Editor of the "Review", established the website "Everything Sondheim" in 2016, envisioned as a "go-to source of news, information, commentary and analysis for musical theater enthusiasts who admire the works and career of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim". Operation of "Everything Sondheim" ceased on December 31, 2017 as the "anticipated financial model did not succeed". On January 4, 2018 it was announced that Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va., had acquired EverythingSondheim.org. Signature’s Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer plans to "continue to publish new and original content, including articles, videos, production listings, puzzles, quizzes and more starting in Winter 2018”. The