Stephen Sondheim
Biography: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Stephen Joshua Sondheim (March 22, 1930 – November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Among the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, Sondheim was praised for having "reinvented the American musical" with shows that tackled "unexpected themes that range far beyond the [genre's] traditional subjects" with "music and lyrics of unprecedented complexity and sophistication". His shows addressed "darker, more harrowing elements of the human experience" with songs often tinged with "ambivalence" about various aspects of life. Sondheim started his theatre career by writing the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959) before becoming a composer and lyricist. Sondheim's best-known works include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), and Into the Woods (1987). Sondheim's accolades include eight Tony Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Tony in 2008), an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has a theater named for him both on Broadway and in the West End of London. Sondheim wrote film music, contributing "Goodbye for Now" for Warren Beatty's Reds (1981). He wrote five songs for 1990's Dick Tracy, including "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)", sung in the film by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Film adaptations of Sondheim's work include West Side Story (1961), Gypsy (1962), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966), A Little Night Music (1977), Gypsy (1993), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Into the Woods (2014), West Side Story (2021), and Merrily We Roll Along (TBD).
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: March 22, 1930
Deathday: November 26, 2021
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Known For
tick, tick... BOOM!
2021-11-11
tick, tick... BOOM!
Overview: On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-11-11
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Assassins: A Conversationpiece
1991-06-01
Assassins: A Conversationpiece
Overview: Stephen Sondheim and librettist John Weidman discuss their stage musical Assassins, and offer advice for future productions. Sondheim, seated at a piano, focuses on the arrangement of his score, singing excerpts from the show's songs as examples. Weidman focuses on his text and the meaning of individual sequences. Scenic designer Loren Sherman, who designed the set for the 1990 Off-Broadway production of the show at Playwrights Horizons, displays his model for the set and offers advice on dealing with the scenic design challenges presented by the show. Each man appears separately and addresses the camera directly, with no interviewer present.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-06-01
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Into the Woods: A Conversationpiece
1990-05-15
Into the Woods: A Conversationpiece
Overview: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine discuss their stage musical Into the Woods
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-05-15
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Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
2021-12-27
Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
Overview: Archival footage provides a glimpse into the life of Cameron Mackintosh; the storied producer famous for Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats and many more.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-12-27
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On Broadway
2019-10-12
On Broadway
Overview: An all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theater, and how it came back from the brink thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion and a sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Legends of the stage and screen—including Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen—take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Iconic performances by Lin Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin lead the way on a hurly burly ride through Times Square, once again the main street of American show business in this documentary directed by Academy-Award nominee Oren Jacoby.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2019-10-12
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Something's Coming: West Side Story
2021-12-05
Something's Coming: West Side Story
Overview: Incredible video behind-the-scenes with the stars, Steven Spielberg, and see one of the last interviews with the legendary Stephen Sondheim.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-12-05
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Original Cast Album: Company
1970-10-28
Original Cast Album: Company
Overview: In 1970, right after the triumphant premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking concept musical Company, the renowned composer and lyricist, his director Harold Prince, the show’s stars, and a large pit orchestra all went into a Manhattan recording studio as part of a time-honored Broadway tradition: the making of the original cast album. What ensued was a marathon session in which, with the pressures of posterity and the coolly exacting Sondheim’s perfectionism hanging over them, all involved pushed themselves to the limit.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1970-10-28
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Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003-04-03
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
Overview: Broadway: The Golden Age is the most important, ambitious and comprehensive film ever made about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Award-winning filmmaker Rick McKay filmed over 100 of the greatest stars ever to work on Broadway or in Hollywood. He soon learned that great films can be restored, fine literature can be kept in print - but historic Broadway performances of the past are the most endangered. They leave only memories that, while more vivid, are more difficult to preserve. In their own words — and not a moment too soon — Broadway: The Golden Age tells the stories of our theatrical legends, how they came to New York, and how they created this legendary century in American theatre. This is the largest cast of legends ever in one film.
Genres: Music Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-04-03
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The Stories of West Side Story
2022-03-02
The Stories of West Side Story
Overview: Rejoice in the astonishing all-new footage of Spielberg at work in documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau’s revealing The Stories of West Side Story. Composed of Opening, Prologue, Sharks & Jets, Dance at the Gym, The Romance, America, Gee, Officer Krupke, Cool, From Quintet to the Rumble, I Feel Pretty, Somewhere, Finale, and Tribute.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2022-03-02
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A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy
2011-11-15
A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy
Overview: A documentary with stars from the original cast.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-11-15
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Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
1998-11-07
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Overview: 'Hey, Mr Producer!' features selected scenes from the productions of the world's most successful musical producer, Cameron Mackintosh - classic songs from classic musicals performed by the ultimate cast.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-11-07
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Keeping Company with Sondheim
2022-05-27
Keeping Company with Sondheim
Overview: Filmed over two years, this new documentary takes an exclusive inside look at Tony-winning director Marianne Elliott’s creative process of bringing a reimagined gender-swapped production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical Company to Broadway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring rehearsal and performance footage, plus new interviews with Elliott, Sondheim, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone and members of the original 1970 cast, the broadcast tells the story of the show’s Broadway debut in a city on the verge of bankruptcy to its reimagination 50 years later as both Broadway and New York City emerge from one of the greatest crises in contemporary history.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2022-05-27
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Sondheim: A Musical Tribute
1973-01-01
Sondheim: A Musical Tribute
Overview: A short documentary concerning the preparations and rehearsals for the March 11, 1973 benefit tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Includes a photo-montage of the concert finale in which Sondheim sings Anyone Can Whistle.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-01-01
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Six by Sondheim
2013-12-09
Six by Sondheim
Overview: This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2013-12-09
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The Making of Sweeney Todd at the San Francisco Symphony
2002-05-01
The Making of Sweeney Todd at the San Francisco Symphony
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Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-05-01
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Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall
1992-06-10
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall
Overview: This program features the music of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim in a 1992 performance at Carnegie Hall. An American Musical Theatre writer for over 40 years, Stephen Sondheim has created the scores for hits such as Passion, Assassins, Bounce, Into The Woods, Sunday In The Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures. Featuring: Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close and many more.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-06-10
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Sunday in the Park with... Stephen
1990-03-20
Sunday in the Park with... Stephen
Overview: Documentary that follows Stephen Sondheim, during his spell as visiting professor of drama at Oxford University, as he takes students through the creative process of writing a musical. The film was made during rehearsals for the UK premiere of Sunday in the Park with George, which won the Olivier Award for best musical in 1991.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-03-20
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The Last of Sheila Featurette
1973-01-01
The Last of Sheila Featurette
Overview: A short documentary released as pre-publicity for the 1973 murder mystery, The Last of Sheila.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-01-01
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
2022-11-23
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Overview: World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.
Genres: Comedy Crime Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2022-11-23
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Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened...
2016-11-18
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened...
Overview: This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-11-18
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West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
2016-12-26
West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
Overview: As the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-12-26
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Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
1986-01-11
Putting it Together: The Making of the Broadway Album
Overview: In 1985, Barbra Streisand released "The Broadway Album," which remains one of her most popular records. Barbra's first television special on HBO debuted in 1986. The special—which combined an interview with director William Friedkin with documentary footage of Barbra in the recording studio making 'The Broadway Album' - was only 40 minutes long. The best of Broadway comes to life in the tour, as Streisand rehearses "Putting it Together," "Can't Help Lovin' That Man of Mine" and "If I Loved You." Also included is the music video for "Somewhere."
Genres: Documentary Music TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-01-11
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Harold Prince: The Director's Life
2018-11-23
Harold Prince: The Director's Life
Overview: Featuring archival clips from his many groundbreaking productions, the performance-documentary includes interviews with many of Prince's collaborators, including Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mandy Patinkin, John Kander, Susan Stroman, and Angela Lansbury, all sharing their firsthand insights into his pioneering achievements in the theatre.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-11-23
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd
2008-04-01
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd
Overview: A general making-of piece featuring principal members of the cast and crew. A brief history of the demon barber is provided, as well as the actors' preparation for their singing roles and glimpses of the set design and general production.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2008-04-01
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West Side Memories
2003-04-01
West Side Memories
Overview: Documentary attached to the 50th anniversary MGM Blu-ray collection of "West Side Story" (1961). Details how this successful stage production was reared and molded into a beautiful cinematic one. Deep-dives into Jerome Robbins' choreography and Leonard Bernstein's score-making processes.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-04-01
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June Moon
1974-01-30
June Moon
Overview: In this rousing satire a native upstate New York clerk comes to 1920s Manhattan with dreams of making in big on Tin Pan Alley.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1974-01-30
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Follies: In Concert
1986-03-14
Follies: In Concert
Overview: A backstage documentary film including footage from the legendary 1985 concert performance of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The plot of the musical centers around a reunion of showgirls who appeared in an annual Follies extravaganza when it was staged between the wars.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1986-03-14
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Sweeney Todd: Scenes from the Making of a Musical
1980-07-26
Sweeney Todd: Scenes from the Making of a Musical
Overview: Opening with the first day of rehearsals of the London production of "Sweeney Todd", this ninety-minute documentary focuses on the rehearsal process with the musical's director, composer and actors.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1980-07-26
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Camp
2003-09-05
Camp
Overview: Misfits in their lives back home, a group of young people live it up at musical-theater camp. While the sports counselor is completely ignored, the kids' spend all their time in rehearsal for a grueling schedule that involves a new show every two weeks. Several personal stories come to the fore.
Genres: Comedy Music Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-09-05
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Sondheim! The Birthday Concert
2010-11-16
Sondheim! The Birthday Concert
Overview: Join us for a rousing celebration of the life and works of one of Broadway's greatest legends — the one and only Stephen Sondheim. For the master composer and lyricist's 80th birthday, many of musical theater's brightest stars gathered in March of 2010 to perform more than two dozen sensational numbers from Sondheim's illustrious career, and several of these enduring songs are performed by the original Broadway cast members. David Hyde Pierce hosts this magical event with Stephen Sondheim's longtime collaborator Paul Gemignani conducting the New York Philharmonic. Originally broadcast as an episode of the PBS series "Great Performances" (season 38, episode 2).
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2010-11-16
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Witness to 'Reds'
2006-10-17
Witness to 'Reds'
Overview: Cast and crew of "Reds" revisit their memories and stories while making the film.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2006-10-17
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Children Will Listen
2004-04-11
Children Will Listen
Overview: The District of Columbia Public School system faces many challenges, including insufficient resources and large class sizes. Although DC students live less than ten miles from the Kennedy Center, many have never seen a play. Children Will Listen shows how some committed artists, educators and colege students launched an extraordinary group of kids in a new direction. The program follows 140 students from seven Washington, DC elementary and middle schools as they kick off the Kennedy Center's tribute to Stephen Sondheim with their own production of Into the Woods, Jr. This was, for the students, a rare opportunity to experience the theater both in the classroom and on stage. Guided by the mentorship of four professional artists, the students participated in all aspects of the production and experienced the history and techniques of costume design, set construction, and acting. Meanwhile a second group of students recorded their journey on film, with their professor Charlene Gilbert.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-04-11
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert
2001-10-31
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert
Overview: In 1846, Anthony Hope sails into London with the mysterious Sweeney Todd, a once-naive barber whose life and marriage was uprooted by a corrupt justice system. Todd confides in Nellie Lovett, the owner of a local meat pie shop, and the two become partners, as Todd swears revenge on those that have wronged him and decides to take up his old profession.
Genres: Crime Drama Horror Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-10-31
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