Stephen Sondheim, legendary Broadway composer and author of the lyrics for musicals such as “West Side Story“. His lawyer made it known. Sondheim’s death was sudden and took place in his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, where he had just celebrated Thanksgiving with some friends.” Thank God – wrote Barbra Streisan in a tweet -, Sondheim lived to be 91, so he had time to write wonderful music and lyrics. May he rest in peace. “
American composer, lyricist, playwright. Sondheim is considered one of the most important authors in the musical theater scene of the twentieth century, especially for his role in the development of the modern musical genre. He also wrote original soundtracks for films such as Dick Tracy, in ’90, which earned him the Oscar for Best Song in 1991 with “Sooner or later“. He won numerous Tony Awards and as many Grammy Awards in the category of best theatrical music album, one of which, in 1979, for opera.”Sweeney Todd“by Tim Burton. In 1985 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the dramaturgy of”Sunday in the park with George“.
Between 1970 and 1980, his most productive years, he produced works considered varied and original, including “Company” (1970), “Follies” (1971), “A Little Night Music” (1973), “Pacific Overtures” (1976), “Sweeney Todd” (1979), “Merrily We Roll Along” (1981), e “Into the Woods“(1987). In total, Sondheim composed both the lyrics and the music for 12 Broadway shows, five of which won a Tony for Best Musical, and six of which won a Tony for Best Score, while the show “Sunday in the Park“, which received neither of those two awards, won the Pulitzer Prize.
In 2010, one of the Broadway theaters, hitherto known as the Henry Miller Theater, was named after him. In 2020, the center of British theater, London’s West End, also wanted to pay homage to him by naming one of its theaters after him. In the same year, his 90th birthday was celebrated in a big way in a virtual party, due to the pandemic, which was attended by the likes of Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Audra McDonald.
Recently, three films nominated for different awards featured his music: “Daggers in the Back“, “Joker” e “A Marriage Story“, which contained a scene in which the protagonist, played by Adam Driver, sang”Being Alive“, from the show”Company“.
Its value has been recognized with the highest honors granted in the US to personalities who have distinguished themselves in the field of art and culture, the last of which was the presidential medal of freedom that was awarded to him by Barack Obama in 2015.