He composed and wrote a staggering 16 musicals. He has theatres named after him in both New York’s Broadway and London’s West End. He is considered as the greatest composer-lyricist of his generation.
Click start to play today’s Crossword, where you can discover the long, illustrious career and life of American musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim.
When he passed away at age 91 on November 26 this year, the lights went out in several theatres across the UK and US, in tribute to a man who left an enormous legacy in the industry. Sondheim is known for reinvigorating Broadway shows, for his versatile, sophisticated composing skills and his witty wordplay.
If you would like to know more about the far-reaching impact of the Academy Award-winner, these are a few of Sondheim’s best shows that deserve a watch:
1. West Side Story
A contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the romantic tragedy moves from Verona, Italy, to the streets of New York, US. Reimagined as a turf war between a white American street gang and Puerto Rican immigrants, the show premiered in 1957 and was Sondheim’s big break. With hit songs like “I Feel Pretty” and “Maria”, the story is one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals.
2. Sweeney Todd
Perhaps Sondheim’s best-known musical, the show is inspired by the sinister character in the Victorian penny dreadful, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Premiering in 1979, the show’s ensemble played a role that resembled a classical Greek chorus – they would reflect on the gruesome action of Sweeney Todd’s vengeance throughout the entire musical without acting upon it, until right at the end where the drama hits the roof.
3. Into The Woods
A musical that draws on four beloved fairy tales – Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Rapunzel – this 1987 production integrates the stories with an original one of a baker and his wife, and the witch’s curse that prevents them from having children.
Have you seen any of Sondheim’s musicals, or watched their film adaptations? Play today’s Crossword and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
