Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim endured a neglected childhood and had a bitter and difficult relationship with his mother.

Post his parents’ divorce, after moving to rural Pennsylvania in 1940, he formed a close relationship with Oscar Hammerstein II. Apart from tutoring him in musical theatre, Hammerstein was like a father-figure to Sondheim.

He is a homosexual and was involved in some short-lived relationships during the 1970s and the 1980s. His first long-term relationship was with dramatist Peter Jones. He currently lives with his partner Jeff Romley.

Sondheim was born to Etta Janet and Herbert Sondheim in New York City. His father was a dress manufacturer and his mother a fashion designer. Sondheim studied at ‘Fieldston School’ and later joined the ‘New York Military Academy’. He started learning piano from a very young age.

When he was ten years old, his parents divorced and he moved to rural Pennsylvania with his mother. The famous songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II was one of his neighbours and under his tutelage, Sondheim learned a lot about musical theatre.

He studied in George School in Pennsylvania, where he also wrote his first musical, ‘By George!’ which became extremely popular in the school. He graduated in 1946.

He enrolled at ‘Williams College’ in 1946 and during these years, wrote four musicals under Hammerstein’s guidance. After his graduation, he won the ‘Hutchinson Prize’ which enabled him to study composition for two years under renowned composer Milton Babbitt.

During the next few years, 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 1970, Sondheim kick-started his association with Harold Prince, in style, with the concept musical ‘Company’. The musical narrates incidents from the life of a single man who is unable to commit to a relationship. It was unconventional as it featured a set of characters and themes instead of a straightforward plot and ran for 705 performances.

The 1973 musical ‘A Little Night Music’, inspired by the film ‘Smiles of a Summer Night’ is considered among Sondheim’s best works, garnering much appreciation for both his music and lyrics. The musical also won numerous awards.

‘Sweeney Todd’, a 1979 musical thriller with revenge as its central theme is considered one of Sondheim’s most complex compositions. The Harold Prince directed musical has had many revivals and has also been adopted by numerous operas.