Best Stephen Sondheim Musicals

Saturday Night was meant to open on Broadway in 1955, but was unfortunately shelved when the show’s lead producer, Lemuel Ayers, died. The show was based on the play Front Porch in Flatbush by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, who also wrote the book for the musical adaptation. Stephen Sondheim provided the music and lyrics. While the musical never made it to Broadway, it was eventually produced in Chicago, off-Broadway in New York, and ran on the West End in 2009.

West Side Story became Sondheim’s Broadway debut when it opened in 1957. Conceived and directed by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents, West Side Story has gone on to be one of the most famous musicals of all time. The show follows a Romeo and Juliet story and involves a rivalry between two gangs – the Puerto Rican Sharks and the white Jets. The original production launched Chita Rivera, who played Anita, to fame, and since then West Side Story has been revived four times on Broadway, and has been adapted into film twice, first in 1961 directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and then again in 2021 directed by Steven Spielberg. 

Gypsy is based on burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee and her mother, Rose.  The musical opened on Broadway in 1959 with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was directed by Jerome Robbins and starred Ethel Merman as Rose, Sandra Church as Gypsy Rose Lee, and Jack Klugman as Herbie. The Original Broadway Cast Recording won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 1960. Gypsy has been revived four times on Broadway and has featured stars like Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Patti LuPone as Rose. The show was also adapted into a film of the same name in 1962, starring Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, and Karl Malden and was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum premiered on Broadway in 1962 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The musical follows Roman slave Pseudolus as he tries to win his way to freedom. The original Broadway production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the show has been revived twice on Broadway and was adapted into a film in 1966.

Anyone Can Whistle opened on Broadway in 1964 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Arthur Laurents, who also directed. The musical involves a corrupt mayor who fakes a miracle in order to lure tourists to her impoverished town and a romance between the town’s nurse and a doctor. The Broadway production starred Angela Lansbury as the mayor. 

Do I Hear a Waltz? opened on Broadway in 1965 with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. The musical was directed by John Dexter and is based on Arthur Laurents’ play The Time of the Cuckoo which follows an American woman in Venice and her affair with a Venetian shop owner. 

Evening Primrose was a musical written for television and is based on John Collier’s short story of the same name. The show aired in 1966 as part of the show “ABC Stage 67” and tells the story of a poet, Charles Snell, who hides in a department store and discovers a group of people who have lived there for years. The musical has a book by James Goldman and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and starred Anthony Perkins as Charles Snell.

Company opened on Broadway in 1970 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The musical was directed by Harold Prince, commonly known as Hal Prince, and follows Bobby on his 35th birthday and all his married friends. Sondheim first met Hal Prince through his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II (known for Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music). Prince would become a frequent collaborator and directed many of Sondheim’s shows. The original Broadway production of Company won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Lyrics. Company has been revived three times on Broadway, most recently in 2021/2022 in a production that featured a female Bobbie. A concert version of Company, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, was filmed in 2011 and featured a cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton, Patti LuPone, Christina Hendricks, Jon Cryer, and Anika Noni Rose. 

Follies opened on Broadway in 1971 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Goldman. The musical was directed by Hal Prince and follows a group of showgirls having a reunion at the dilapidated theater where they all performed. The original Broadway production won 7 Tony Awards including Best Original Score. The musical has been revived two times on Broadway and has starred Blythe Danner, Judith Ivey, Danny Burstein, Jan Maxwell, Elaine Paige, and Bernadette Peters. A film adaptation of the musical is currently in the works. 

A Little Night Music opened on Broadway in 1973 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. The musical was directed by Hal Prince and follows actress Desiree Armfeldt and the men who love her. The original Broadway production won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The musical was revived on Broadway in 2009 starring Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones in her Broadway debut. It was adapted into a film in 1977 starring Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Rigg and directed by Hal Prince. “Send in the Clowns” is one of the most well-known songs from this musical, made famous by Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1973. Many other artists have since covered the song. 

The Frogs ran at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 1974 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and played in the Yale swimming pool. The cast included the then unknown Yale students Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, and Christopher Durang. The musical was eventually revived and opened on Broadway in 2004 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center Theater with a book revised by Nathan Lane and additional music from Stephen Sondheim. 

Pacific Overtures opened on Broadway in 1976 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical was directed by Hal Prince and set in Japan in 1853 when American ships forced Japan to open trade relations. The original Broadway production won two Tony awards, and the show was revived on Broadway in 2004. 

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street opened on Broadway in 1979 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler and direction from Hal Prince. The musical is based on the Sweeney Todd character from a Victorian penny dreadful – penny dreadfuls were the name of cheap, popular British literature in the 1800s. The show follows Sweeney Todd, a barber bent on revenge, as he teams up with Mrs. Lovett, who owns a meat pie shop where she usefully turns Todd’s victims into pies.  The original production starred Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, Len Cariou and Sweeney Todd, and Victor Garber as Anthony Hope. Sweeney Todd has been revived three times on Broadway, and the 2005/2006 production starred Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and Michael Cerveris as Sweeney Todd. The musical was also adapted into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. The most recent Broadway production in 2023/2024 starred Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett, and they were later replaced by Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster.

Merrily We Roll Along opened on Broadway in 1981 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth based on the play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The production was directed by Hal Prince and follows three friends – a composer, a lyricist, and a novelist – over the course of their lives. A new production directed by Maria Friedman and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez opened at New York Theatre Workshop as part of their 2022/2023 season before transferring to Broadway's Hudson Theatre in October 2023. TheaterMania called the production "musical-theater heaven in a two-and-a-half-hour package." A film written and directed by Richard Linklater starring Blake Jenner, Beanie Feldstein, and Ben Platt is also in the works and will be filmed over the next 20 years. 

Sunday in the Park with George opened on Broadway in 1984 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, who also directed. The musical follows painter Georges Seurat as he creates the painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The show won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985, and the original production starred Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. The musical has been revived on Broadway three times and was also filmed in 1985 with most of the original cast. 

Into the Woods opened on Broadway in 1987 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine who also directed. The musical combines the plots of fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Rapunzel and follows their dealings with a giant and a witch. The original Broadway production starred Joanna Gleason and Bernadette Peters and won three Tony awards including Best Original Score. The show has been revived three times on Broadway, and the most recent revival is running on Broadway now! It has also been adapted into a film starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, and Tracey Ullman. 

Assassins opened off-Broadway in 1990 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman. Set in a carnival, the musical follows a group of people who have assassinated, or attempted to assassinate, United States Presidents. With characters like John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, John Hinckley Jr, and Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, the original production premiered at Playwrights Horizons and was eventually revived on Broadway in 2004, where it won five Tony Award including the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Assassins was most recently revived off-Broadway at Classic Stage Company directed by John Doyle and was one of the last shows Sondheim attended before he passed. 

Passion opened on Broadway in 1994 with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical takes place in Italy and follows a soldier and his love for his colonel’s cousin, Fosca. The original Broadway production starred Marin Mazzie and Donna Murphy and won four Tony Awards including the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score. 

Road Show opened off-Broadway in 2008 at The Public Theater with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, and direction by John Doyle, and won the Obie Award for Best Music and Lyrics and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. The musical follows two brothers looking to change their fortunes as they pursue the American Dream. 

Here We Are is the last musical composed by Stephen Sondheim and began performances off-Broadway at The Shed in September 2023. The musical has a book by David Ives, direction from Joe Mantello, and choreography by Sam Pinkleton. It is inspired by two films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel by Luis Buñuel.

Gypsy will be performed at the Majestic Theatre (formerly home to the long-running hit The Phantom of the Opera) starting November 21, 2024, under the direction of George C. Wolfe. This frequently revived musical follows the ambitious stage mom, Rose, as she strives to make stars of her daughters June and Louise. It features iconic songs such as “Rose’s Turn,” “If Mamma Was Married,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Some People.” Audra McDonald will take on the role of Rose, joining the ranks of legendary performers like Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Imelda Staunton. Don’t miss your chance to grab a ticket—this show is bound to sell out fast!

HAT BOX COLLECTION: There’s no better source than the man himself. One of the most celebrated books about Broadway, Stephen Sondheim’s Hat Box Collection is a must-have for any musical theatre lover. The collection is made up of two books, “Finishing the Hat” and “Look, I Made a Hat,” and includes lyrics from Stephen Sondheim’s most popular shows like West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods, annotated with anecdotes, pointed observations, and invaluable advice from one of the greatest songwriters of our time.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: This book by James Lapine, Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created “Sunday in the Park with George," chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of the journey that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning classic.