Irish Examiner view: A little night music

Stephen Sondheim 1930 – 2021

Stephen Sondheim, who died on Friday morning at his home in Connecticut.

The lights will go down in London’s theatreland tonight to mark the passing of one of the giants of Broadway, and a musical lyricist whose work has been compared with Shakespeare.

Stephen Sondheim entered the world at the height of the Great Depression and left it during challenging and complex times. Fitting for a composer and maestro who could take modern complexity, unravel it and make it both relevant and poignant for his millions of adoring fans. Sondheim was mentored by another famous name, Oscar Hammerstein, and possesses a roll call of successes including a hugely memorable collaboration with Leonard Bernstein on West Side Story.