Born in New York City on March 22, 1930, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim celebrates his 90th birthday this month. Sondheim was responsible for music and lyrics for musicals including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Anyone Can Whistle,” “Company,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” “Pacific Overtures,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods,” “Passion,” and “Assassins;” for lyrics for “West Side Story,” with music by Leonard Bernstein, “Gypsy,” with music by Jule Styne, and “Do I Hear a Waltz?” with music by Richard Rodgers; and for songs “The Boy from ..,” sung by Linda Lavin in “The Mad Show,” and “I Never Do Anything Twice (The Madam’s Song),” sung by Millicent Martin in the film “The Seven Percent Solution.” The likes of Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Mandy Patinkin, Donna Murphy, Dean Jones, Larry Kert, Alexis Smith, Vanessa Williams, Barbra Streisand, Barbara Cook, Patti LuPone, Zero Mostel, Audra McDonald, Hermione Gingold, and the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus have sung his music, and Ethel Merman, Carol Lawrence, and Chita Rivera, in addition, his words.
Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim!