Remembering The Legendary Stephen Sondheim

Remembering The Legendary Stephen Sondheim
MTI is mourning the loss of our dear friend and author, legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. For more than 40 years, MTI has had the distinct privilege of representing Mr. Sondheim's work, including 28 of his iconic musicals and revues, resulting in over 50,000 productions around the world.
The Stephen Sondheim Society notes that Steve was "widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. For more than 50 years, he has set an unsurpassed standard of brilliance and artistic integrity in musical theatre. His accolades include an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer) including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, multiple Drama Desk awards and a Pulitzer Prize." In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
MTI's Chairman Cameron Mackintosh shared:
"The theatre has lost one of its greatest geniuses and the world has lost one of its greatest and most original writers. Sadly, there is now a giant in the sky. But the brilliance of Stephen Sondheim will still be here as his legendary songs and shows will be performed for evermore. Goodbye, old friend and thank you from all of us."
Freddie Gershon, co-Chairman of MTI, summed up his feelings this way:
HEY OLD FRIEND
FUNNIEST GUY OLD FRIEND
ONE OF A KIND OLD FRIEND
IT'S COME TO THE END OLD FRIEND
Stephen Sondheim with Freddie and Myrna Gershon
MTI's CEO, Drew Cohen, emphasised Sondheim's impact on countless theatre fans' lives:
"In addition to being considered the greatest composer of our time, Steve was a most vital part of the MTI family. Not only did we represent Sondheim's incredible collection of shows, but Steve was an ardent supporter of everything MTI did to expand the audience for musical theatre. In particular, he was an eager participant when Freddie approached him over two decades ago with an idea to abridge musicals so that younger students could perform them. Based on Steve's early endorsement of Broadway Junior, the collection was born, resulting in tens of thousands of productions and millions of new eyes, ears, and voices aware of and engaged in musical theatre."
Future historians: Stephen Sondheim was real. Yes, he wrote Tony & Maria AND Sweeney Todd AND Bobby AND George & Dot AND Fosca AND countless more. Some may theorize Shakespeare's works were by committee but Steve was real & he was here & he laughed SO loud at shows & we loved him
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) November 27, 2021
To help provide a testament to his genius and contributions to the arts and education, we have collected a sampling of articles and tributes created throughout the years.
Obituaries / Reactions
Legendary Composer Stephen Sondheim Dead at 91 - Playbill
Musical Theatre Icon Stephen Sondheim Passes Away at 91 - Broadwayworld
Social: The Broadway Community Reacts to Stephen Sondheim's Passing - Broadwayworld
Stephen Sondheim, Composer of 'Follies,' 'Sweeney Todd,' Dies at 91 - Variety
Stephen Sondheim, Titan of the American Musical, Is Dead at 91 - The New York Times
About Stephen Sondheim
Broadway Jukebox: The Music of Stephen Sondheim - Broadwayworld
Articles / Features Through the Years
Days Before Dying, Stephen Sondheim Reflected: 'I've Been Lucky' - The New York Times, 2021
Isn't It Rich - The New York Times Book Review by Paul Simon, 2010
Why Stephen Sondheim Is America's Greatest Living Writer - The Wall Street Journal, 2021
SONDHEIM AT 90: Stephen Sondheim, the Man Who Felt Too Much - The New York Times, 2020
Archival Videos and Appearances
He left us with so many words, but none enough for this post. Goodbye, old pal. Thank you, Stephen Sondheim, for so much brilliance in the theatre and sharing your music with us all. pic.twitter.com/Qe55GcDQeS
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) November 27, 2021
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Chitty flies again! We're thrilled to announce that rights to the full, 2-act version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ar… t.co/HDCiIyhcBC
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Now Available: Little Miss Sunshine. Filled with warmth, humour, and a tuneful score, Little Miss Sunshine will del… t.co/G59OnGYH29
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Check out the awesome new trailer for @CurveLeicester's new production of Billy Elliot the Musical. It's electric(i… t.co/h3DMxAFZhh
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Xanadu is now available for licensing! #xanadu t.co/gnvZ7bSFE2
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Fabulous, baby! #sisteract t.co/3AcBCG2HKx
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RT @FortisTrust: Bradfields Drama Club students (and Bradfields staff!) knocked it out of the park again! On Thursday and Friday la… t.co/4eKnf10gVK
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RT @PrimaryWoody: Well done Year 6! Two amazing performances of Matilda Jnr the Musical today! You were sensational! #proudteachers… t.co/oxYfSC3CZY
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We're loving these gorgeous photos from @canfordschool's December production of Into the Woods at the Lanyard Theatre. What a wonderful design. We hear it was a fantastic production, so congratulations to everyone! Set design by @kbwilkins #intothewoods #schoolmusical #sondheim #theatre
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It's phantasmagorical - CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG JR is now available for licensing! Filled with amazing stage spectacle and unforgettable songs, including the Academy Award nominated title song, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. is a high-flying fun-filled adventure that will dazzle audiences and Broadway Junior Stars alike. Further details: https://www.mtishows.co.uk/chitty-chitty-bang-bang-jr
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Earlier this month, @ntpaplano enchanted audiences with Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR. We're giving the cast, crew, and director @itsjessiebooth a #curtaincall! Bravo on telling the tale as old as time #Repost @theatrephotodad #mtishows #beautyandthebeast #disneyonbroadway #taleasoldastime #disneymusical #beourguest #belle #wearebroadwayjunior #beautyandthebeastjr
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"December 24th. 9pm. Eastern Standard Time." Here on in -- We're putting the spotlight on Rent at @sigtheatre. Christopher Mueller and Margot Schulman #mtishows #rent #december249pmeasternstandardtime #seasonsoflove #lavieboheme #jonathanlarson
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Today is your last day to apply to the DreamWorks Theatricals/Musing Theatre International Emerging Writers Program! Submissions are due at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Click on our link in bio to apply! #DWTMTIEmergingWriters #mtishows #DreamWorksTheatricals #GTDI #UniTalentDev #HereYouCan [Image description: Against a sparkling blue background, a smiling animated giraffe is on the right side of the image. Next to the giraffe, blue text reads final day to apply! (submissions due 11:59 PM PT). In the upper left corner, a light blue box has text that reads DreamWorks Theatricals/Musing Theatre International Emerging Writers. The DreamWorks and MTI logos are in the lower right corner.]
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"The cold never bothered me anyway." It's the first day of winter, and Elsa's reign begins! Disney's Frozen JR. at @smithtownpac. Photo by @clicksbycourt Digital background by @broadwaymedia #mtishows #frozenjr #frozen #letitgo #thecoldneverbotheredmeanyway #disney #disneymusical #wintersolstice [Image description: A young woman stands onstage singing. She is wearing a sparkling blue gown. Another young woman wearing a pink cloak watches her. A blue and purple background shows a magical, frozen kingdom.] #Repost @smithtownpac "We can't wait to come back!" Audiences of all ages can't get enough of Frozen Jr. Performances NOW - January 17th! : smithtownpac.org #spac #longisland #longislandtheatre #frozenjr #frozen #anna #elsa #smithtowntheatre
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Take a look back at #AllTogetherNowMTI at @alltogethernowbrazil! @dennynaka Over 2,000 organizations from all 50 states and 31 countries participated in the weekend-long celebration last month. Nearly 5,000 individual performances were seen by approximately 500,000 audience members and raised over 6.2 million dollars (adjusted for local currencies) used in support of the producing organizations. Bravo to everyone! #Repost @alltogethernowbrazil WERE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER solistas: @gigihchris @fernanda_yafa @titokamei @pedrinho_fss @dennynaka #alltogethernowmti #mtishows #alltogethernowbrazil #highschoolmusical #wereallinthistogether
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"All Good Gifts All around the world! Godspell Original Off-Broadway Version, 2012 Broadway Revival Version, and Godspell JR. are now available to license globally! Shown here: @saintjoehigh's March 2021 production of Godspell. Head to our link in bio or: https://www.mtishows.com/godspell http://www.mtishows.co.uk/godspell http://www.mtishows.com.au/godspell [Image description: A group of actors are standing apart, wearing masks, with their arms crossed over their chests. Another masked actor upstage of them is wearing an orange construction vest and hard hat. Behind them, an actor stands in a rectangular case with a cross on top.] #mtishows #godspell #godspelljr #daybyday
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From the top of the number to the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making All Together Now! such a special event. We couldnt have made this possible without you. Take a bow! #AllTogetherNowMTI *estimated amount of money raised adjusted for local currencies*
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ONE MORE WEEK to Move It and get those applications in! The deadline for DreamWorks Theatricals/MTI Emerging Writers Program is 12/22! To learn more about the opportunity to share your voice with the unique perspectives of the DreamWorks team, click the link in our bio. #DWTMTIEmergingWriters#mtishows#DreamWorksTheatricals#GTDI#UniTalentDev#HereYouCan [Image Description: Against a sparkling blue background, a smiling animated zebra is sitting in the lower left corner. Next to the zebra, blue text readsApplications close in one week! (final day to apply 12/22). In the upper left corner, a light blue box has text that reads DreamWorks Theatricals/Musing Theatre International Emerging Writers. The DreamWorks and MTI logos are in the lower right corner]
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