UNITED STATES AUTHOR · MUSICALS · LIBRETTOS
Stephen Sondheim
Also known as: Stephen (COP) Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received numerous accolades, including eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, five Olivier Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1982 and awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 1993 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Sondheim was mentored at an early age by Oscar Hammerstein II and later frequently collaborated with Harold Prince and James Lapine.
Three Japanese Musicians enter and take positions on a low platform at the side of the stage.
— from Pacific overtures, 1976
Most acclaimed
Pacific overtures
1976
Libretto of the musical "Pacific Overtures" with photos from the original Broadway production. Two friends caught in the inevitable winds of change tell of Japan's painful and harrowing Westernization.
Getting away with murder
Longtime musical theatre collaborators Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, who together created the landmark musical Company, have joined forces again to create a compellingly original thriller - Mr. Sondheim's first nonmusical play. Getting Away with Murder unfolds on a stormy night on Manhattan's Upper West Side at a group therapy session. The patients arrive only to find that their faithful, Pulitzer Prize-winning psychiatrist is missing. What unfolds is a classic whodunit in the tradition of Sleuth and The Mousetrap that harkens back to Sondheim's screenplay collaboration with Anthony Perkins on the cult film The Last of Sheila.
Into the Woods
This epic adventure musical incorporates plots and characters of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine. The Narrator introduces the cast of characters, each with a wish: the Baker and Baker's wife long for a child but cannot conceive, Jack desperately wishes his cow Milky White would once again provide milk so he wouldn't have to sell her, and Cinderella dreams of attending the king's ball and someday being free of her cruel stepmother and step-sisters. When all their tales, and the tales of other fairy tale characters, lead to the woods and become intertwined, dreams come true and wishes are granted. Their happiness has consequences, though, and the characters are forced to band together to save their world from destruction. - broadwaymusicalhome.com A revival opened at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, running from February 1, 2002 to March 24, 2002. This production was directed and choreographed with the same principal cast that later ran on Broadway. The 2002 Broadway revival, directed by James Lapine and choreographed by John Carrafa, began previews on April 13, 2002 and opened April 30, 2002 at the Broadhurst Theatre, closing on December 29 after a run of 18 previews and 279 regular performances. It starred Vanessa L. Williams as the Witch, John McMartin as the Narrator, Stephen DeRosa as the Baker, Kerry O'Malley as the Baker's Wife, Gregg Edelman as Cinderella's Prince/Wolf, Christopher Sieber as Rapunzel's Prince/Wolf, Molly Ephraim as Little Red Ridinghood, Adam Wylie as Jack and Laura Benanti as Cinderella. Judi Dench provided the pre-recorded voice of the Giant. Lapine revised the script slightly for this production, with a cameo appearance of the Three Little Pigs restored from the earlier San Diego production. Other changes, apart from numerous small dialogue changes, included the addition of the song "Our Little World," a duet for the Witch and Rapunzel written for the first London production, the addition of a second wolf in the song "Hello Little Girl" who competes for Little Red's attention with the first Wolf, the portrayal of Jack's cow by a live performer (Chad Kimball) in an intricate costume and new lyrics were written for "The Last Midnight," now sung by the Witch as a menacing lullaby to the Baker's baby. This production featured Scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt, Costume design by Susan Hilferty, Lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, Sound design by Dan Moses Schreier and Projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy. The revival won the Tony Awards for the Best Revival of a Musical and Best Lighting Design. This Broadway revival wardrobe is on display at the Costume World in South Florida. - Wikipedia.