Stephen Sondheim Research Assignment

By Jessica Farrell
141330
Childhood
Stephen Joshua Sondheim was born on March 22,
1930, in New York City. His parents are Herbert and
Janet Sondheim. They divorced in 1942. Stephen
went to live with his mother in Doylestown,
Pennsylvania. In his younger years with his mother,
Stephen began to hone his musical talents by
practicing the piano and organ.
Early Career
Sondheim went to Williams College where he
majored in music. He graduated in 1950 from
Williams College. The years following his
graduation were tough for Stephen
West Side Story
Sondheim finally made his big debut in 1957 with
writing the song lyrics for the musical adaptation of
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story.
West Side Story became one of Broadway's most
successful productions due to Sondheim's
contributions to the musical masterpiece.
Height of Career
Following the success of West Side Story,
Sondheim's career rose to new heights as he
continued to write extraordinary lyrics that started
a new era of musical theatre. His major works
include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With
George and Into the Woods.

Awards
Stephen Sondheim has won many awards
throughout his career including an Academy
Award, eight Tony Awards (which is more than any
composer) including the Special Tony Award for
Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, eight
Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence
Olivier Award.
Sondheim wrote a book of annotations of his lyrics
titled Finishing the Hat in 2010, which is a
collection of his lyrics from productions dating
19541981.
Early Theatre
Stephen soon became friends with the son of the
well-known Broadway lyricist and producer Oscar
Hammerstein II. Stephen began to work as an
assistant on several of Hammerstein's productions
with composer, Richard Rodgers.
Current Theatre
As Sondheim shifted to contemporary works,
his music and lyrics caught on. Audiences
everywhere loved Sondheim's deep and
emotional stories. Sondheim created a new,
unusual style of musical, consisting of very
complex music and sometimes-darker styles of
writing.
Company
This was Sondheim's first contemporary
musical, centered around a depressed man's
35th Birthday party, where he realizes what
he's missing in life.
A big hit with audiences, Company marked one
of Sondheim's biggest successes.

Follies
Centered around the closing of a theatre, old
performers remember the past in a
melancholy tale of regret.
Follies received great reviews, and made lots
of money.... however its not Sondheim's most
popular musical.
Sweeney Todd
Set in 1850 London, Sweeney Todd is one of
Sondheim's darkest musicals, full of gory
scenes and ethereal music. It revolves around
an exiled barber and a pie maker, who open a
cannibalistic pie shop in which the make pies
out of humans.
It was a smash hit, has been revived twice,
and made into a movie.
Into the Woods
Based upon the fairy tales we all know and
love, this musical give them a dark twist.
One of Sondheim's most popular musicals, it
has been revived 3 times and a new movie is
coming out in 2014.
Other Information
West Side Story ran for 732 performances.
Gypsy ran for 702 performances.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum ran for 964 performances.
Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twUK_vPp-tE