Arthur Laurents was a theater great, as well as a great theatrical character

Post Gazette: "As Stephen Sondheim is the first to point out, it's the book writers of musicals who always get it in the neck. If they're not ignored entirely (as in 'Sondheim's 'Sweeney Todd' '), then they're usually held responsible for the work's shortcomings by critics, who tend to be more comfortable criticizing the story than the score.