Stephen Sondheim was hired at just 25 years old to write the lyrics for the legendary “West Side Story”, his first Broadway show, later adapted for the screen.
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It is a Broadway figure who has bowed out. Stephen Sondheim, American musical legend and lyricist of “West Side Story”, died Friday November 26 at the age of 91, told AFP Rick Miramontez, the spokesperson for one of his plays, “Company”, currently performing on Broadway.
His lawyer, F. Richard Pappas, had previously announced to the New York Times that Stephen Sondheim had suddenly passed away at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut (northeast of the country), after celebrating Thanksgiving with his friends the day before.
Trained at a young age by the great master of the musical Oscar Hammerstein (“Show Boat”, “The Melody of Happiness”), Stephen Sondheim was hired at only 25 years old to write the lyrics of the now legendary “West Side Story”, his first Broadway show, later adapted for the screen.
Born on March 22, 1930 in New York City, he was considered one of the greatest composers of the musical and was seen as an intellectual of the genre, as he preferred art theater to the entertainment so prevalent on Broadway. He had notably worked on “Sweeney Todd”, “Gypsy”, “Sunday in the Park with George”, “A Little Night Music”, as a composer or lyricist. During his long career, this Broadway giant has won eight Grammy Awards, as many Tony Awards, an Oscar, as well as a Pulitzer Prize.