Stephen Sondheim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Sondheim
Sondheim, c. 1976
Born	Stephen Joshua Sondheim (1930-03-22)March 22, 1930 New York City, U.S.
Died	November 26, 2021(2021-11-26) (aged 91) Roxbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater	Williams College
Occupation	Composer
Years active	1952–2021
Spouse(s)	Jeffrey Romley ​ (m. 2017)​
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Musical theater

Stephen Joshua Sondheim (March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. He was one of the most important people in musical theater during the 1900s. Sondheim is known for changing what American musicals could be. His shows explored new topics beyond the usual musical themes. He created music and lyrics that were very complex and clever. He often worked with directors Hal Prince and James Lapine on Broadway shows.

Sondheim became interested in musical theater when he was young. He was taught by the famous Oscar Hammerstein II. Stephen Sondheim started his career by writing only the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). Later, he began writing both the music and lyrics for his shows. Some of his most famous works include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), and Into the Woods (1987).

Sondheim won many awards. These include eight Tony Awards (one for Lifetime Achievement), an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. He also received a Kennedy Center Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two theaters are named after him, one on Broadway and one in London's West End. Many of his works have been made into movies, such as West Side Story (1961), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Into the Woods (2014), and West Side Story (2021).

Early Life and Education

Sondheim was born on March 22, 1930, in New York City. His parents were Etta Janet and Herbert Sondheim. His father made dresses designed by his mother. Stephen grew up in Manhattan and later on a farm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, after his parents divorced. He was an only child.

When he lived in New York City, Sondheim went to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. He also spent summers at Camp Androscoggin. In 1940, his mother sent him to New York Military Academy. From 1942 to 1947, he attended George School, a private school in Pennsylvania. There, he wrote his first musical, By George, in 1946.

Sondheim said his interest in theater started when he was nine. He saw a Broadway musical called Very Warm for May. He remembered the curtain going up to show a piano. A butler dusted it, making the keys tinkle. Sondheim found this very exciting.

Mentorship by Oscar Hammerstein II

Oscar Hammerstein c. 1940

When Sondheim was about ten, he became good friends with James Hammerstein. James was the son of the famous writer Oscar Hammerstein II. The Hammersteins were neighbors in Bucks County. Oscar Hammerstein became like a second father to Stephen. He greatly influenced Sondheim and helped him love musical theater.

Sondheim met Hal Prince, who later directed many of his shows, at the opening of South Pacific. This was a musical by Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers.

When Sondheim wrote his musical By George at George School, it was popular with his friends. This made him feel good about himself. He asked Hammerstein to give him an honest opinion on it. Hammerstein said it was the worst thing he had ever seen. But he offered to explain why it was terrible. They spent the rest of the day discussing the musical. Sondheim later said he learned more about songwriting that afternoon than most people learn in a lifetime.

Hammerstein created a special "course" for Sondheim on how to build a musical. He had Stephen write four musicals, each with a different rule:

• Based on a play he admired: Beggar on Horseback (which became All That Glitters)
• Based on a play he liked but thought could be better: High Tor
• Based on a book or short story that hadn't been made into a play: his unfinished Mary Poppins (Bad Tuesday)
• An original idea: Climb High

None of these "assignment" musicals were ever performed professionally.

Hammerstein's Death

Oscar Hammerstein died on August 23, 1960, at age 65. Sondheim remembered that Hammerstein had given him a portrait of himself. Sondheim asked him to write something on it. He later said this request was "weird," like asking your father to sign something. Reading the message ("For Stevie, My Friend and Teacher") made Sondheim emotional. He said it described Oscar better than anything he could say.

College Education

Sondheim went to Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He was drawn to its theater program. He wanted to study music composition, theory, and harmony. He wanted a teacher who respected theater music. His teacher, Milton Babbitt, was a good match. They met once a week in New York City for four hours. They would study songs by composers like Rodgers and Hart and George Gershwin. They also looked at classical music, like Mozart's Jupiter Symphony.

Sondheim was fascinated by math. He and Babbitt studied songs by composers like Jerome Kern. Sondheim said Kern was good at developing a single musical idea into a long, interesting piece. He said Babbitt taught him how to use serious musical skills in popular arts. At Williams, Sondheim wrote a musical version of Beggar on Horseback. It was performed three times. He graduated with honors in 1950.

After college, Sondheim had a few challenging years. He tried to get his songs heard. He lived in his father's dining room to save money. He also spent time in Hollywood writing for the TV show Topper. He loved movies from the 1940s and 1950s. He called cinema his "basic language." His knowledge of films helped him pass tryouts for a TV game show.

When he was 22, Sondheim had finished the four shows Hammerstein asked him to write. A designer and producer named Lemuel Ayers asked Sondheim to write three songs for a new show. The show was called Saturday Night. It was supposed to open on Broadway in 1954–55. However, Ayers died, and the show was put on hold. It finally opened off-Broadway in 2000. Sondheim later said he felt fondness for it. He thought it was good work for a 23-year-old.

Career Highlights

Early Broadway Success (1954–1959)

A friend named Burt Shevelove invited Sondheim to a party. There, Sondheim met Arthur Laurents. Laurents had seen one of Sondheim's auditions for Saturday Night. Laurents told him he was working on a musical version of Romeo and Juliet with Leonard Bernstein. They needed a lyricist. Sondheim wanted to write both music and lyrics. He asked Hammerstein for advice. Hammerstein told him to take the job. He said it was a chance to work with talented people on an interesting show. He added that Sondheim could always write his own music later.

The musical, West Side Story, opened in 1957. It was directed by Jerome Robbins. The show ran for 732 performances. Sondheim later said he wasn't completely happy with his lyrics. He felt they didn't always fit the characters.

After West Side Story, Shevelove thought Broadway needed more funny, simple comedies. He suggested a musical based on old Roman comedies by Plautus. Sondheim liked the idea and worked with Larry Gelbart on the script. This show later became A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

In 1959, Laurents and Robbins asked Sondheim to work on a musical based on Gypsy Rose Lee's life story. Famous singers Irving Berlin and Cole Porter had turned it down. Sondheim agreed. But Ethel Merman, who was cast as the main character, wanted Jule Styne to write the music. Sondheim wanted to write both music and lyrics. He worried that writing only lyrics again would make people think of him only as a lyricist. He called Hammerstein for advice. Hammerstein told him to take the job. He said writing a show for a big star would be a good learning experience. Sondheim agreed. Gypsy opened on May 21, 1959, and ran for 702 performances.

Writing Music and Lyrics (1962–1966)

The first Broadway show where Sondheim wrote both the music and lyrics was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It opened in 1962 and ran for 964 performances. The story was based on old Roman comedies. The show won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It was Sondheim's longest-running show where he wrote both music and lyrics.

Sondheim had three hits in a row. But his next show, Anyone Can Whistle in 1964, closed after only nine performances. However, it was important because it introduced Angela Lansbury to musical theater.

Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) was based on a play by Laurents. Richard Rodgers was supposed to write the music. Laurents and Rodgers' daughter, Mary, asked Sondheim to write the lyrics. Sondheim later said he regretted writing this show. He felt he did it as a favor and for money, not because he truly believed in the project. After this, he decided to only work on shows where he could write both the music and lyrics.

Sondheim then asked writer James Goldman to work with him on a new musical. They were inspired by a newspaper article about a gathering of old showgirls. The show was first called The Girls Upstairs, then later became Follies.

In 1966, Sondheim secretly wrote lyrics for a song called "The Boy From...". It was a funny song in an off-Broadway show. He used a fake name, "Esteban Río Nido," which means "Stephen River Nest" in Spanish. That same year, Goldman and Sondheim worked on a TV musical called Evening Primrose. It was shown on TV on November 16, 1966.

Stephen Sondheim's House, Turtle Bay, New York City, New York

Sondheim lived in a Turtle Bay, Manhattan brownstone house from 1959. One day, his neighbor, actress Katharine Hepburn, knocked on his door. She was upset because his music was keeping her awake. She was practicing for her own musical debut. Sondheim joked that she wanted to "suffer for her art" in her bare feet.

Working with Hal Prince (1970–1981)

Sondheim in New York, 1972

After Do I Hear a Waltz?, Sondheim focused only on writing both music and lyrics. In 1970, he started working with director Harold Prince. Their work together is considered a high point in musical theater history.

Their first show was Company in 1970. It was about a single man and his married friends. The show didn't have a simple plot. Instead, it explored themes like marriage and connecting with others. Company opened on April 26, 1970, and ran for 705 performances. It won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Music, and Best Lyrics. Company was brought back to Broadway in 1995, 2006, and 2020/2021.

Follies (1971) opened on April 4, 1971. It ran for 522 performances. The story is about a reunion of performers from old musical shows. They meet in a crumbling theater that is about to be torn down. The show was brought back to Broadway in 2001 and 2011.

A Little Night Music (1973) had a more traditional story. It was based on a movie and mostly used waltz music. It was one of Sondheim's biggest commercial successes. Time magazine called it his "most brilliant accomplishment." The song "Send in the Clowns" from the musical became very popular. It was a hit for singer Judy Collins. The show opened on Broadway on February 25, 1973, and ran for 601 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 2009.

Pacific Overtures (1976) was one of Sondheim's most unusual shows. It explored how Japan became more like Western countries. It was first performed in a style similar to Japanese Kabuki theater. The show closed after 193 performances. It was revived on Broadway in 2004.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) was based on an old story. It was brought back to Broadway in 1989 and 2005. A new Broadway revival opened in March 2023.

Merrily We Roll Along (1981) had music that was more traditional for Sondheim. Songs from this musical were recorded by famous singers like Frank Sinatra and Carly Simon. However, this show was not as successful as their earlier collaborations. It opened to mostly negative reviews and closed after less than two weeks. But because Sondheim's music was so good, the show has been changed and performed many times since then. A movie version of Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Richard Linklater, started production in 2019. It is planned to be filmed over two decades, so the actors can age naturally.

Working with James Lapine (1984–1994)

The failure of Merrily greatly affected Sondheim. He thought about quitting theater and doing movies or video games. He wanted to find something that didn't involve Broadway and people who seemed to dislike his work. After Merrily, Sondheim and Prince didn't work together again until 2003.

Sondheim found a new collaborator in James Lapine. He saw Lapine's play Twelve Dreams in 1981. Their first show together was Sunday in the Park with George (1984). Sondheim's music for this show was inspired by the painting style of Georges Seurat. Sondheim and Lapine won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this play. It was revived on Broadway in 2008 and 2017.

They also worked together on Into the Woods (1987). This musical was based on several Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Sondheim is sometimes called the first composer to bring rap music to Broadway. This was with the Witch's song at the beginning of Into the Woods. However, he said the first rap in theater was in The Music Man (1957). Into the Woods was revived on Broadway in 2002 and 2022.

Sondheim and Lapine's last musical together was Passion (1994). It was based on an Italian film. Passion ran for 280 performances. It was the shortest-running show to win a Tony Award for Best Musical.

In 2013, Lapine directed a documentary film called Six by Sondheim. It was about Sondheim's creative process. Sondheim himself appeared in the film, acting and singing.

Later Work (1990–2021)

Assassins opened in 1990. It explored, in a musical show format, historical figures who tried to assassinate the President of the United States. The musical closed after 73 performances. It was later staged on Broadway in 2004.

Saturday Night, the musical Sondheim wrote early in his career, was finally produced in London in 1997. A new version with two new songs ran in New York in 2000.

In the late 1990s, Sondheim worked with John Weidman again on a musical comedy called Wise Guys. It was based on the lives of two interesting businessmen. It was later renamed Bounce in 2003. This was his first time working with Harold Prince since 1981. Although Bounce didn't reach Broadway, a revised version opened in New York in 2008. It won awards for its music and lyrics.

When asked about writing new work in 2006, Sondheim said it was harder as he got older. He felt less energy and worried about having new ideas. He also felt less confident.

In 2010, a musical review called Sondheim on Sondheim was produced. It featured Sondheim's songs and stories. The cast included famous performers like Barbara Cook and Vanessa L. Williams.

Sondheim worked with Wynton Marsalis on a concert called A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair in 2013. It featured more than two dozen of Sondheim's songs, reimagined with jazz music.

For the 2014 movie version of Into the Woods, Sondheim wrote a new song called "She'll Be Back." It was sung by The Witch, but it was cut from the final film.

In 2012, it was announced that Sondheim would work on a new musical with David Ives. The show was tentatively called All Together Now. It was based on two films by Luis Buñuel. In 2021, Sondheim announced he was working on a new musical called Square One with Ives. This was his final interview before he passed away.

Sondheim made a voice cameo in the 2021 film Tick, Tick... Boom!. He voiced a phone message from himself.

Other Projects

Conversations and Puzzles

The Kennedy Center held a festival of six Sondheim musicals in 2002. It also included a discussion with Sondheim and theater critic Frank Rich. They later took their discussion, called "A Little Night Conversation with Stephen Sondheim," on tour to different U.S. cities. Sondheim said that movies are like photographs, but the stage is "larger than life." When asked about his favorite musicals, he listed Porgy and Bess, Carousel, She Loves Me, and The Wiz. He saw The Wiz six times.

Sondheim loved puzzles and games. He helped introduce cryptic crosswords, a British type of puzzle, to American audiences. He created a series of cryptic crossword puzzles for New York magazine in 1968 and 1969. Sondheim was known in theater circles for making puzzles, scavenger hunts, and murder-mystery games. His love for puzzles inspired a character in the 1970 play Sleuth. Sondheim also showed his love for mysteries in The Last of Sheila, a complex mystery film he wrote with his friend Anthony Perkins in 1973.

Sondheim also wrote music for films. He wrote five songs for Warren Beatty's 1990 film Dick Tracy. One of these songs, "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)", sung by Madonna, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He also contributed to the films Reds, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Stavisky, and The Birdcage.

In 1996, Sondheim worked with Company writer George Furth to write a play called Getting Away with Murder. The Broadway production closed after only 17 performances.

Mentoring Other Artists

After being mentored by Hammerstein, Sondheim also mentored other young artists. He said he loved "passing on what Oscar passed on to me." Composer-lyricist Adam Guettel remembered showing Sondheim his work when he was 14. Sondheim gave him very direct feedback. Later, Sondheim wrote to apologize for not being very encouraging, explaining he was trying to be helpful.

Sondheim also mentored Jonathan Larson, who wrote Rent. Sondheim attended a workshop for Larson's musical Superbia. In Larson's musical Tick, Tick... Boom!, a phone message from Sondheim is played. In it, Sondheim apologizes for leaving early and says he is impressed with Larson's work. After Larson's death, Sondheim said he was one of the few composers trying to mix pop music with theater music. He said Jonathan understood how to use music to tell a story.

Around 2008, Sondheim asked Lin-Manuel Miranda to help translate West Side Story lyrics into Spanish. Miranda then showed Sondheim his new project, Hamilton. Sondheim gave him notes on it. Sondheim was first worried that a whole show of rap might get boring. But he thought Miranda's attention to good rhyming made it work.

Sondheim provided a voice cameo for the 2021 film version of Tick, Tick... Boom!, directed by Miranda. He voiced the phone message himself.

Dramatists Guild

Sondheim supported writers' rights in the theater. He was an active member of the Dramatists Guild of America. In 1973, he was elected as the Guild's president and served until 1981.

Major Works

Honors and Legacy

Sondheim received an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards, and eight Grammy Awards. He also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sunday in the Park with George (1985). He was honored with the Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Achievement (1993). He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2015.

Sondheim started Young Playwrights Inc. in 1981. This group helps young people learn to write for the theater. The Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, in Fairfield, Iowa, opened in 2007.

The Stephen Sondheim Society was created in 1993 to share information about his work. It publishes a magazine and organizes events. It also holds an annual competition for young musical theater students.

Many episode titles of the TV show Desperate Housewives refer to Sondheim's song titles or lyrics. The show's final episode is called "Finishing the Hat."

A theater on West 43rd Street in New York City was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on September 15, 2010. This was to celebrate his 80th birthday. Nathan Lane and Patti LuPone were there. Sondheim said he was "deeply embarrassed" but also "thrilled."

In 2019, it was noticed that three major films featured Sondheim songs: Joker, Marriage Story, and Knives Out. His work is also referenced in TV shows like The Morning Show.

Sondheim at 80

Many concerts and events were held to celebrate Sondheim's 80th birthday in 2010. The New York Philharmonic held Sondheim: The Birthday Concert at Lincoln Center. Many original performers from his shows performed his music. The concert was shown on PBS's Great Performances.

Another benefit, Sondheim 80, was held on March 22. It included a performance of Sondheim on Sondheim. New songs by other musical theater writers were also performed.

A concert at New York City Center on April 26 celebrated his birthday and helped Young Playwrights. Many famous actors and singers performed.

On July 31, a BBC Proms concert celebrated Sondheim's 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It featured songs from many of his musicals. Judi Dench sang "Send in the Clowns".

Sondheim at 90

To honor Sondheim's 90th birthday, The New York Times published a special section on March 15, 2020. It included comments from critics, performers, and fans. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Broadway revival of Company was delayed. But a virtual concert, Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration, was streamed online on April 26. Many famous people participated, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep. After New York City theaters reopened in 2021, Sondheim attended revivals of two of his musicals.

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

In 2022, Cameron Mackintosh presented Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. This was a two-hour concert to honor Sondheim after he passed away. It was performed in London and shown on BBC Two. Performers included Helena Bonham Carter, Dame Judi Dench, and Bernadette Peters. Highlights included Dench singing "Send in the Clowns" and Peters singing "Children Will Listen."

The tribute is set to be performed again for a limited time in London from September 2023 to January 2024. Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga will star in the production.

Musical Style and Themes

Music critic Anthony Tommasini wrote that Sondheim's music used traditional musical language. But he added interesting harmonies and mixed in elements of jazz and Impressionist styles. This created his own unique and exciting sound.

Sondheim is known for complex vocal parts in his songs. For example, in A Little Night Music, five minor characters sing together like a Greek chorus. He used sharp harmonies and detailed melodies. His musical influences were varied. He said he loved Bach, and his favorite musical period was from Brahms to Stravinsky.

Sondheim's musicals often showed the Western world as challenging and difficult. His songs have been very popular with queer audiences. They have been used as important songs for many generations of gay people. They were also often used in events to raise money for AIDS.

Matt Zoller Seitz said Sondheim's work was brave because it showed the truth. It was compassionate but didn't sugarcoat anything. It didn't offer easy answers or simple endings, which are often expected in musicals.

Personal Life

Sondheim was often described as a private person. He once told the New York Times that he never found anyone he could work with as easily as himself. He also said he was "naturally a collaborative animal."

Sondheim married Jeffrey Scott Romley, a digital technologist, in 2017. They lived in Manhattan and Roxbury, Connecticut.

In 2010–2011, Sondheim published his autobiography in two books: Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) and Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981–2011). In these books, he shared his ideas about writing. He said four main ideas guided everything he wrote: "Content Dictates Form, Less is More, God is in the Details – all in the service of Clarity."

In James Lapine's 2013 documentary Six by Sondheim, Sondheim shared that he liked to write his music while lying down. He would sometimes have a drink to help him write.

Sondheim passed away at his home in Roxbury on November 26, 2021, at age 91. On December 8, 2021, Broadway theaters dimmed their marquee lights for one minute to honor him.

Published Works

• Stephen Sondheim's Crossword Puzzles: From New York Magazine (1980) ISBN: 0-06-090708-8
• Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes (2010) ISBN: 978-0-679-43907-3
• Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981–2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany (2011) ISBN: 9780307593412

Images for kids

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  Sondheim, c. 1976

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  Oscar Hammerstein c. 1940

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  Sondheim in New York, 1972

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  Stephen Sondheim's House, Turtle Bay, New York City, New York

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  Stephen Sondheim (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Stephen Sondheim para niños