Stephen Sondheim Biography (1930-)

Full name, Stephen Joshua Sondheim; born March 22, 1930, in New York, NY; sonof Herbert (a dress manufacturer) and Etta Janet (a fashion designer and interior decorator; maiden name, Fox) Sondheim.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: Composer, lyricist, singer, writer
Birth Details: March 22, 1930; New York, New York, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute, Sam S. Schubert Theatre, New York City, 1973
Host, Allegro, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1994
Film Appearances
Clapper boy, Beat the Devil (also known as Il Tesoro dell'Africa), 1953
Singer, Hey Mr. Producer (also known as Hey Mr. Producer!: TheMusical World of Cameron Mackintosh), 1998
Television Appearances
Specials
Maxie Schwartz, June Moon, PBS, 1974
Putting It Together--The Making of the Broadway Album, HBO, 1986
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall, 1992
Some Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II, PBS, 1995
Episodic
"Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule Styne," Great Performances, PBS, 1987
"Bernstein at 70," Great Performances, PBS, 1989
RECORDINGS
Albums; As Composer and Lyricist
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Capitol, 1962
Anyone Can Whistle, Columbia, 1964
Do I Hear a Waltz?, Columbia, 1965
Company, Columbia, 1970
Follies, Capitol, 1971, released as Follies in Concert, RCA, 1985
A Little Night Music (includes song "Send in the Clowns"), Columbia, 1973
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (anthology), Warner Bros., 1973, released as Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute, RCA, 1990
Pacific Overtures, RCA, 1976
Sweeney Todd, RCA, 1979
Marry Me a Little, RCA, 1981
Merrily We Roll Along, RCA, 1981
Sunday in the Park with George, RCA, 1984
Music of Stephen Sondheim, Book of the Month Records, 1985
Into the Woods, RCA, 1988
(With others) I'm Breathless (Music from and Inspired by the Film "Dick Tracy") (includes songs "Sooner or Later [I Always Get My Man]" and "What Can You Lose?"), Sire, 1990
The Stephen Sondheim Album, Fynsworth Alley, 2000
Songs also included in Stephen Sondheim: A Collectors Sondheim (compilation of original cast recordings), RCA.
Albums; As Lyricist Only
West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein), Columbia, 1957, released as film soundtrack, 1961
Gypsy (music by Jule Styne; includes song "Small World"), Columbia, 1959
WRITINGS
Stage Music
The Girls of Summer, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1956
Invitation to a March, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1960
Twigs, 1971
The Enclave, Theatre Four, New York City, 1973
(With John Kander and Giuseppe Verdi) Once in a Lifetime, Public Players Inc., Central Arts Theatre, 1975
Stage Lyrics
West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein), produced at Winter Garden Theatre, New York City, 1957 and 1960 book and vocal score published, 1958
Gypsy (music by Jule Styne; includes song "Small World"), producedat Broadway Theatre, New York City, 1959 book and vocal score published, 1960
Do I Hear a Waltz? (music by Richard Rodgers), produced at 46th Street Theatre, New York City, 1965 book and vocal score published, 1966
(With others) Leonard Bernstein's Theatre Songs, Theatre De Lys, New York City, 1965
(Co-writer of additional lyrics with John LaTouche), Candide (revival; original lyrics by Richard Wilbur; music by Leonard Bernstein), ChelseaTheatre Center of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY, 1973-1974 then Broadway Theatre, 1974
(With others) By Bernstein, Westside Theatre, New York City, 1975
Stage Music and Lyrics
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, produced at AlvinTheatre, New York City, 1962 book and vocal score published, 1963
Anyone Can Whistle, produced at Majestic Theatre, New York City, 1964 book and vocal score published, 1965

Company, produced at Alvin Theatre, 1970 book and vocal score published, 1971
Follies, produced at Winter Garden Theatre, 1971 book and vocal score published, 1972
A Little Night Music (includes song "Send in the Clowns"), produced at Shubert Theatre, New York City, 1973 then Majestic Theatre, 1973-1974 book and vocal score published, 1974
The Frogs, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1974
Pacific Overtures, produced at Winter Garden Theatre, 1976 book and vocal score published, 1977
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, produced at Uris Theatre (now Gershwin Theatre), New York City, 1979-1980 book and vocal scorepublished, 1979
(With others) The Madwoman of Central Park West, 22 Steps Theatre,1979
Merrily We Roll Along, Alvin Theatre, 1981-1982
Sunday in the Park with George, produced at Playwrights Horizons,New York City, 1983 book and vocal score published, 1986
Sunday in the Park with George, Booth Theatre, New York City, 1984-1985
Into the Woods, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA, 1986 then MartinBeck Theatre, New York City, 1987-1989
(With others) Jerome Robbins Broadway, Imperial Theatre, New YorkCity, 1989-1990
Assassins, Playwrights Horizons, 1991
Passion, Plymouth Theatre, New York City, 1994
Wise Guys, workshop performance, 1999
Saturday Night, Second Stage Theatre, New York City, 2000
Stage Musical Anthologies
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute, Shubert Theatre, 1973
Side by Side by Sondheim, Music Box Theatre, 1977
Marry Me a Little, Actors Playhouse, New York City, 1981
Julie Wilson: From Weill to Sondheim--A Concert (one act devoted to Sondheim's work), Kaufman Theatre, 1987
You're Gonna Love Tomorrow: A Stephen Sondheim Evening, New Playwrights Theatre, Washington, DC, 1987
Stage Plays
Getting Away with Murder, Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1996
Film Scores
Stavisky (also known as L'Empire d'Alexandre and Stavisky, il grande truffatore), Cinemation, 1974
A Little Night Music (also known as Das Lacheln einer Sommernacht), New World, 1977
(With Dave Grusin) Reds, Paramount, 1981
Film Lyrics
West Side Story, United Artists, 1961
Gypsy, Warner Bros., 1962
Film Song Lyrics
"Something's Coming," Defending Your Life, 1991
Film Songs
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, United Artists, 1966
"Madame's Song," The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, 1976
Airplane!, 1980
Terms of Endearment, 1983
Rhosyn a Rhith, 1986
(With others) Dick Tracy (includes songs "Sooner or Later [I Always Get My Man]" and "What Can You Lose?"), Touchstone-Buena Vista, 1990
Postcards from the Edge, 1990
The Fisher King, 1991
The Birdcage (also known as Birds of a Feather), United Artists, 1996
A Simple Wish, 1997
Afterglow, 1997
In & Out, 1997
Drop Dead Gorgeous, 1998
Superstar, 1999
Screenplays
(With Anthony Perkins) The Last of Sheila, Warner Bros., 1973
Television Lyricist
Movies
Gypsy, CBS, 1993
Television Scores
Specials
Passion, PBS, 1996
Television Music and Lyrics
Specials
(With Burt Shevelove) The Fabulous 50s, CBS, 1960
Evening Primrose, ABC, 1966
Annie, the Woman in the Life of a Man, CBS, 1970
Sweeney Todd (also known as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), The Entertainment Channel, 1982
Television Lyrics Only
Specials
"Somewhere," Putting It Together-- The Making of the Broadway Album, HBO, 1986
Passion, PBS, 1996
Television Music Only
Specials
Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special, ABC, 1990
Television Music and Lyrics
Episodic
"Follies in Concert," Great Performances, PBS, 1986
"Sunday in the Park with George," Broadway on Showtime, Showtime,then American Playhouse, PBS, both 1986
"The Saga of Lenny," included in "Bernstein at 70," Great Performances, PBS, 1989
"A Little Night Music," Live from Lincoln Center, PBS, 1990
"Into the Woods," Great Performances, PBS, 1991
Television Lyrics Only
Episodic
"Candide," Great Performances, PBS, 1986
Television Episodes
(With others) Topper, NBC, 1953
The Last Word, CBS, 1957-1959

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Banfield, Stephen, Sonheim's Broadway Musicals, University of Michigan Press, 1993
Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998
Gordon, Joanne, Art Isn't Easy, Southern Illinois University Press, 1990
Gordon, Joanne, ed., Stephen Sondheim: A Casebook, 1997
Gottfried, Martin, Sondheim, 1993
Secrest, Meryle, Stephen Sondheim: A Life, A. Knopf, 1998
Zadan, Craig, Sondheim & Co., Macmillan, 1974

Periodicals

Insight, August 28, 1989, p. 59
Macleans, December 24, 1984, p. 41
New York Times, April 1, 1984
Opera News, November, 1985, p. 18
People, September 23, 1985, p. 78
Variety, February 4, 1991, p. 95
Vogue, April, 1984, p. 85

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