The score, Sondheim's first time on Broadway writing both words and music, was coolly received, however, not even garnering a nomination.

The score is generally considered to be one of Sondheim's most ambitious and sophisticated efforts.

Sweeney Todd ( 1979 ), Sondheim's most operatic score and libretto ( which, along with A Little Night Music, has been seen in opera houses ), once again explores an unlikely topic, this time murderous revenge and cannibalism.

The performers included: Laura Benanti, Matt Cavenaugh, Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Jenn Colella, Jason Danieley, Alexander Gemignani, Joanna Gleason, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, John McMartin, Donna Murphy, Karen Olivo, Laura Osnes, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Bobby Steggert, Elaine Stritch, Jim Walton, Chip Zien, the 2009 Broadway revival cast of West Side Story and a ballet performed by Blaine Hoven and Maria Riccetto set to Stephen Sondheim's score of Warren Beatty's Reds.

In reviewing the 2005 concert, Charles Isherwood wrote: " This pared-down production of one of Mr. Sondheim's most challenging works, a gothic romance about a young military officer drawn into an intense relationship with a sick, ugly woman, illuminates the shapely beauty and emotional vibrancy of Mr. Sondheim's score with unsettling, ultimately shattering force.

They did record Stephen Sondheim's Broadway debut as a composer with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, but in 1971 they came under fire for refusing to record the complete score of Sondheim's Follies as a 2-LP set.

The show's best-known and Sondheim's biggest hit song was almost an afterthought, written several days before the start of out of town tryouts.

It was at the opening of South Pacific, the musical Hammerstein wrote with Richard Rodgers, that Sondheim met Harold Prince, who would later direct many of Sondheim's shows.

Although it was Sondheim's only Top 40 hit, his songs are frequently performed and recorded by cabaret artists and theatre singers in their solo careers.

Merrily We Roll Along ( 1981 ), with a book by George Furth, is one of Sondheim's more " traditional " scores and was thought to hold potential to generate some hit songs ( Frank Sinatra and Carly Simon each recorded a different song from the show ).

Sondheim's music director, Paul Gemignani, said, “ Part of Steve ’ s ability is this extraordinary versatility .” Merrily, however, was a 16-performance flop.

" Their first collaboration was Sunday in the Park with George ( 1984 ), in which Sondheim's music evoked the pointillist painting technique of its subject, Georges Seurat.

* Sweeney Todd, ( 2007 ) a movie adaptation of the stage work, made with Sondheim's participation and approval, was directed by Tim Burton, featuring a largely nonmusical cast led by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

On July 31, 2010, a BBC Proms concert was held to celebrate Sondheim's 80th Birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Since then, Elfman has scored every film that Tim Burton has directed except for Ed Wood ( because of a falling out that they had ) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street because the music was based on Stephen Sondheim's musical.

Weaver earned her Master of Fine Arts degree at the Yale University School of Drama in 1974, where one of her appearances was in the chorus in a production of Stephen Sondheim's musical version of The Frogs, and another was as one of a mob of Roman soldiers alongside Meryl Streep in another production.

Glynis Johns ( born 5 October 1923 ) is a South African-born Welsh stage and film actress, dancer, pianist and singer ( notably of " Send in the Clowns ", which she originated in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, and " Sister Suffragette " which was written for her for Walt Disney's musical motion picture, Mary Poppins written by the Sherman Brothers ).

He spent his first two years overseeing the redesign of the theatre, and his opening production was Stephen Sondheim's Assassins in 1992.

Original Broadway Cast recording of the musical was nominated for 1988 Grammy Award in the category Best Musical Cast Show Album ( won by the Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods ).

The headstone of Dorothy LoudonLoudon was married to Norman Paris, a composer who wrote the theme song for the television game show I've Got a Secret and arranged the music for Stephen Sondheim's television musical Evening Primrose, from 1971 until his death in 1977.

In 1961, Moreno landed the role of Anita in Robert Wise's and Jerome Robbins ' film adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking Broadway musical, West Side Story, which was played by Chita Rivera on Broadway.

Her last stage performance was a 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in which she played the hardboiled survivor Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the song " I'm Still Here ".

She was faced with an arduous task, given Rodgers open dismissal of Sondheim's lyrics as " shit " and eventually banned Laurents from rehearsals completely.

" The song was actually featured in the 1966 television musical, Olympus 7-000, part of the ABC Stage 67 series which also produced Stephen Sondheim's Evening Primrose.

Kattan was to play Xanthias in the Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs but he was replaced during previews by Roger Bart .< ref >

In an interview with The Times, he stated that he began writing lyrics as a child, some of which were " dark and contemplative – precociously murderous and quite, quite feisty " was motivated to do so professionally in the 1970s when his grandmother, actress Angela Baddeley, starred in a London stage production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music.

After achieving success in film and television, Jones was set to return to Broadway as the star of Stephen Sondheim's new musical Company.

The elder Hammerstein became Sondheim's surrogate father, and had a profound influence on him, especially in developing a love for musical theatre.

In 1980, he played the title role in Stephen Sondheim's Grand Guignol musical Sweeney Todd and in 1982 he played Terri Dennis in Peter Nichols ' play, Privates on Parade ( he appeared in the film version of Privates on Parade as well ).

Shepard recorded Sondheim's scores for Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park With George and Merrily We Roll Along, the 1977 Broadway revival recording of The King and I, as well as the hits Ain't Misbehavin ', 42nd Street, and La Cage aux Folles.

in the mid-1990s as well as playing Jack's mother in the original London cast of Sondheim's Into the Woods alongside Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton.

Besides dramatic Italian ballads like " Anima Mia " and " Vado Via " the album includes Lyngstad's interpretations of 10cc's " The Wall Street Shuffle " and David Bowie's " Life on Mars ", sixties hits like The Beach Boys ' " Wouldn't It Be Nice " and Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's " Young Girl ", the country and western ballad " The Most Beautiful Girl ", " Send in the Clowns " from Stephen Sondheim's musical A Little Night Music as well as the Greek folk song " Siko Chorepse Syrtaki " and " Som en sparv " ( with lyrics by Swedish poet Barbro Hörberg ) originally recorded by Swedish band Wasa.

She starred in a 2001 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies at the Belasco Theater and received a Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Kerry O ' Malley, his younger New Hampshire-born sister, is also an actress and a Broadway veteran ; she received critical attention for her role in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods and recently appeared in several episodes of Showtime's Brotherhood.

On November 19, 2010, The New York Pops performed at Carnegie Hall to celebrate Sondheim's 80th birthday, led by Steven Reineke.

On 31 July 2010, Dame Judi performed Send in the Clowns at a special celebratory promenade concert from the Royal Albert Hall as part of the proms season, in honour of composer Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday, the entire concert in honour of his music.

Additionally, she appeared in several concerts featuring Sondheim's work, and performed for him at his 1993 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony.

In 2011, LuPone played the role of Joanne in a four-night limited engagement concert production of Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical Company at the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Sondheim expert Paul Gemignani.

Porter also had two roles in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, at the National Theatre in 1990 and played Olivia in Twelfth Night at the Shaw Theatre, and Rosalind in As You Like It at the Ludlow Festival.

A production at the Donmar Warehouse in London, as part of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebrations, opened on September 10, 2010 in previews, with the official opening September 21, running through November 27.

In June 2007, three weeks after her initial three surgeries for Oral Cancer, in the 50th anniversary production at Little Theatre on the Square of Chicago, she starred as Phyllis Stone in Stephen Sondheim's " FOLLIES ".

In March 1990, she played the role of Heidi in Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in Long Beach, California, her first attempt at serious theater since Flahooley in 1951.

She is known for her performance of " The Ladies Who Lunch " in Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical Company, her 2001 one-woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and recently for her role as Jack Donaghy's mother Colleen on NBC's 30 Rock.

In 2003, she performed the role of Mrs Lovett in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at the Royal Opera House ( the only musical the ROH has ever presented ).

In 1996, Gish played the role of Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Donmar Warehouse directed by Sam Mendes.

Kudisch has also appeared in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music as Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm, opposite Juliet Stevenson and Jeremy Irons, in a 2003 production at the New York City Opera, and with Victor Garber and Judith Ivey in a 2004 staging by the Los Angeles Opera.

In 2012, O ' Hare starred alongside Amy Adams and Donna Murphy as the Baker in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at The Public Theatre.

She performed two summers with the Kenley Players in Blossom Time and The Great Waltz, and she later added Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow and then two seasons of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at the New York City Opera.

In 2012, she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at The Public Theater's Delacorte Theatre as the Witch.

Her next London stage role is as Mary in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along at the Menier Chocolate Factory-opening in November 2012.

* Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along debuted at the Alvin Theatre and proved to be a rare flop for the otherwise successful composer and lyricist.