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Stephen Sondheim: A Life in Theatre
With celebrated composer Stephen Sondheim turning 80 this month, UKTickets looks at some of his most memorable shows. |
West Side Story
Set in New York, two rival street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, struggle for control of a tough neighbourhood. Tony, a member of the Jets, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Shark leader Bernardo. A contemporary tale of Romeo and Juliet, the dark musical instantly captivated audiences and was soon adapted into a highly successful film. |
Follies Stephen Sondheim wrote both the music and lyrics for this Broadway hit, which won an incredible seven Tony Awards. A London production opened in the late 1980s, produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Set in a Broadway theatre that’s scheduled for demolition, a reunion is held to honour the venue's former showgirls, the ‘Weismann Follies’. As the guests meet again on the grand old stage, memories of the past come vividly to life and play out a love story full of regrets. |
Sweeney Todd This dark, brooding and comic musical has been revived numerous times since opening on Broadway in 1979. Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics to accompany the book by English-born playwright Hugh Wheeler. Benjamin Barker, alias Sweeney Todd, returns to London after transportation to Australia for crimes he didn’t commit. He rents a room above a pie shop run by Mrs Lovett and sets up trade as a gentleman’s barber. All the while he plots revenge. First on the judge and corrupt Beadle who destroyed his life, then on the unfortunate people who get in his way. |
Into the Woods A fantasy musical, based on the fairytales of the Brother’s Grimm, Stephen Sondheim provided the music and lyrics to the imaginative book by James Lapine. The stories of Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel are entwined with that of the Baker and his Wife, who must collect various items to overturn a curse that has left them childless. As the Wicked Witch meddles, and a vengeful Giant appears, this comic tale goes beyond ‘happily ever after’. Into the Woods opens at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park this summer. |
| Book Your Into the Woods Tickets Here |
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