Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim was arguably one of the best ever composers in the field of musical theatre and certainly the best of his generationStephen Sondheim was arguably one of the best ever composers in the field of musical theatre and certainly the best of his generation. Young Stephen battled domestic instability and a tough relationship with his mother to emerge as a child prodigy, as he started learning piano at the age of seven and wrote his first musical when he was fifteen. His neighbour in Pennsylvania, Oscar Hammerstein II, was responsible for fostering in him an interest of writing for musicals and also taught him a lot on this subject. Soon after his graduation, Stephen Sondheim started auditioning his songs, but struggled to get anything substantial for a few years. He faced frustration as two of his Broadway musicals were cancelled, but eventually announced his arrival with ‘West Side Story’. Over next four decades, Stephen Sondheim staked his claim to being one of the very best by delivering numerous brilliant performances, both with his music and lyrics. He also forged extremely productive partnerships with Harold Prince, John Weidman and James Lapine. He wasn’t afraid to try the unconventional and his concept comedies achieved a lot of success. Stephen Sondheim left a rich legacy and his staggering body of work will continue to mesmerize audiences worldwide.

During the next few years, Stephen Sondheim kept auditioning.During the next few years, Stephen Sondheim kept auditioning. He wrote for the TV show ‘Toppers’ and got his first Broadway breakthrough, ‘Saturday Night’, for which he wrote the music and lyrics. But the project was abandoned due to the producer’s death.

Career

Career

Career

During the next few years, Stephen Sondheim kept auditioning. He wrote for the TV show ‘Toppers’ and got his first Broadway breakthrough, ‘Saturday Night’, for which he wrote the music and lyrics. But the project was abandoned due to the producer’s death.

In 1956, he wrote lyrics for the musical ‘West Side Story’ inspired from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for which the famous composer Leonard Bernstein had composed the music. The musical opened on Broadway the next year and achieved great success. It ran for 732 performances.

West Side Story’s success enabled him to get more opportunities. He was involved in two more successful musicals – ‘Gypsy’, for which he wrote the lyrics and ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’, for which he wrote both music and lyrics.

Over the next few years, he continued to write music and lyrics for musicals, such as ‘Do I Hear a Waltz?’, a romance, ‘Follies’, a story of former showgirls, and ‘Evening Primrose’, based on a short story by John Collier. He also conducted the symphony orchestra ‘New York Philharmonic’ during this time.

From 1970 to 1981, Sondheim began a partnership with famous producer/director Harold Prince. Their first work together was the concept musical ‘Company’. Over the next decade, the pair collaborated on six musicals, all of which were directed by Prince. ‘A Little Night Music’, which narrates the romantic lives of three couples, is their most famous musical.

In 1976, he forged another association with librettist John Weidman and worked on three musicals with him. Their works include ‘Pacific Overtures’, regarding the westernization of Japan, ‘Assassins’, which features people who tried to assassinate US Presidents.

In 1984, after being impressed by the show ‘Twelve Dreams’, which he saw in 1981, Sondheim began another decade-long partnership with its director, ‘James Lapine’. Their collaborations include works like ‘Sunday in the Park with George’, ‘Into the Woods’, which featured characters from popular fairy tales and ‘Passion’, a dark story of unrequited love.

In 2003, after a nine-year hiatus, Sondheim returned to theatre with the musical ‘Bounce’ which chronicles the adventures of two brothers in the early 20th century. ‘Bounce’ did not attain much success. However, a revised version of the musical was released five years later that fared much better than the original.

In 2013, Sondheim collaborated with Wynton Marsalis for a special show titled ‘A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair’. It consisted of more than twenty-four of Sondheim’s compositions, each of them modified a little by Marsalis.

In 2014, Stephen Sondheim wrote a new song, "She'll Be Back", for the film adaptation of Into the Woods, but the song was eventually cut from the film.

On September 15, 2021, Stephen Sondheim announced that he was working on a new musical called Square One in collaboration with David Ives.

Who was Stephen Sondheim?

Who was Stephen Sondheim?

Who was Stephen Sondheim?

Stephen Sondheim was arguably one of the best ever composers in the field of musical theatre and certainly the best of his generation. Young Stephen battled domestic instability and a tough relationship with his mother to emerge as a child prodigy, as he started learning piano at the age of seven and wrote his first musical when he was fifteen. His neighbour in Pennsylvania, Oscar Hammerstein II, was responsible for fostering in him an interest of writing for musicals and also taught him a lot on this subject. Soon after his graduation, Stephen Sondheim started auditioning his songs, but struggled to get anything substantial for a few years. He faced frustration as two of his Broadway musicals were cancelled, but eventually announced his arrival with ‘West Side Story’. Over next four decades, Stephen Sondheim staked his claim to being one of the very best by delivering numerous brilliant performances, both with his music and lyrics. He also forged extremely productive partnerships with Harold Prince, John Weidman and James Lapine. He wasn’t afraid to try the unconventional and his concept comedies achieved a lot of success. Stephen Sondheim left a rich legacy and his staggering body of work will continue to mesmerize audiences worldwide.