Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Joshua Sondheim (March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater and is credited for reinventing the American musical. Sondheim frequently collaborated with Hal Prince and James Lapine, and his Broadway musicals explored unexpected themes beyond the genre's traditional subjects, delving into darker aspects of the human experience. His music and lyrics were known for their complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence towards various aspects of life. Sondheim's career began by writing the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959), eventually transitioning to writing both music and lyrics for acclaimed works such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979).