91st birthday wishes today, March 22, to the one and only Stephen Sondheim.
When Sondheim was about ten years old, he became friends with James Hammerstein, son of lyricist and playwright Oscar Hammerstein II. The elder Hammerstein became Sondheim’s surrogate father, influencing him profoundly and developing his love of musical theatre. Sondheim met Hal Prince, who would direct many of his shows, at the opening of South Pacific, Hammerstein’s musical with Richard Rodgers. Read more about the celebrated composer and lyricist (Wikipedia)
See Karsh’s portrait of Hal Prince.