The only child to affluent dress manufacturer Herbert Sondheim and established fashion designer Janet Fox, Stephen Joshua Sondheim was born on March 22 in New York City.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1940, Sondheim\u2019s parents divorced, prompting Fox to venture out to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, much alike renowned individuals of the theatrical world. There, Sondheim\u2019s passion for music and theatrics flourished beneath the guidance of his close neighbor and mentor Oscar Hammerstein II, a famous playwright noted for such acts like \u201cOklahoma!\u201d in <\/em>1943 and \u201cThe King and I\u201d<\/em> in 1951. Under Hammerstein, Sondheim honed his craft, dedicating much of his time to writing scores and scripts for assorted plays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even at such a remarkably young age, Sondheim produced his own, like the satirical musical\u00a0 \u201cBy George!<\/a>\u201d <\/em>in 1945, thus showcasing his virtuosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was the very virtuosity that earned Sondheim a prestigious, two-year scholarship: the Hutchinson Prize for Music Composition upon his graduation in 1950 \u201cwhich enabled him to to study composition at Princeton University\u201d alongside avant-garde musician Milton Babbit, details Micheal Kantor\u2019s film \u201cBroadway: The American Musical\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \tAmbitious, young Sondheim longed to immerse himself into the world of theatre. Though his initial endeavors were–unfortunately–unfruitful, forcing Sondheim to briefly take up work in television industry writing scripts, here he met fellow playwrights like Burt Shevelove as well as Arthur Laurents who would introduce Sondheim to Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sondheim\u2019s big break came at the age of 25, according to the Academy of Achievement. At this time, Sondheim not only \u201cmade his Broadway debut as a composer\u201d for his work in N. Richard Nash\u2019s \u201cThe Girls of Summer,\u201d he gained notoriety as a lyricist for \u201cWest Side Story\u201d in 1957 and shortly following, Gypsy <\/em>in 1959.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \tTheron, Sondheim continued to challenge himself, concocting plays where he could exercise both his lyrical and musical caliber. In 1962, Sondheim produced \u201cA Funny Thing <\/em>Happened on the Way to the Form.\u201d It garnered unfathomable success, donning an astonishing run time of nearly 1,000 performances and even earning a Tony Award in addition to its very own cinematic release in 1966. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, Sondheim collaborated once more with Laurents, producing \u201cAnyone Can Whistle\u201d and soon with Richard Rodgers in \u201cDo I Hear A Waltz\u201d in 1965. While these shows were unsuccessful commercially, Sondheim nonetheless manufactured songs of notable quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Five years passed before Sondheim would return to Broadway in 1971 with the smash hit \u201cCompany\u201d, a \u201ccaustic look at love and marriage in contemporary New York\u201d quotes the Academy of Achievement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCompany\u201d was universally praised, achieving such acclaim as being dubbed \u201cabsolutely first rate…the freshest in years…the one that Broadway has long needed\u201d by critics. With \u201cCompany\u201d came a profound generational gap in Broadway, further cementing Sondheim\u2019s status as a musical genius. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since \u201cCompany\u201d, Sondheim proceeded to wow audiences with productions including but not limited to; \u201cFollies\u201d in 1971. For \u201cFollies\u201d, Sondheim again joined forces with director Harold Prince to both pay tribute and expound upon \u201cthe disappointment of middle age and the corrosive effects of nostalgia and self-delusion\u201d retorts the Academy of Achievement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortly following \u201cFollies\u201d, the eloquent and elegant \u201cA Little Night Music\u201d in 1973–an imaginative exploration of Japanese relations to the United States. Then, in 1976, \u201cPacific Overtures\u201d and years later, the delightfully gritty \u201cSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street\u201d in 1979. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of notable distinction, \u201cSunday in the Park with George\u201d in 1984. Interjecting the tale of two painter\u2019s love affairs, \u201cSunday in the Park with George\u201d earned Sondheim and author James Lapine the Pulitzer Prize for drama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The New York Times dubs him a \u201cbrilliant trickster lyricist<\/a>,\u201d a man whose brilliance was never filtered nor dimmed, only casted an indelible light onto theatre–a light that very few can attest to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, let\u2019s raise our glasses and celebrate the legendary Mr. Sondheim, himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/14731988519_f8b35a0b63_h.jpg?fit=1024%2C681\")
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