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Composer and Lyricist Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim briefly wrote for the television show Topper before becoming the lyricist for the Broadway hits West Side Story and Gypsy. A trained composer, he later began writing his own musicals which, Sondheim says, continued in the Rogers and Hammerstein tradition. They include Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Into the Woods.

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Other segments from the episode on November 10, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, November 10, 1988: Interview with Stephen Sondheim; Review of the Traveling Wilburys' album "Volume 1"; Interview with Lawrence Shainberg; Review of the film "A Cry in the…
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06:31

Bringing Back the Rock Supergroup

The Traveling Wilburys comprises Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynn, and Tom Petty. Rock critic Ken Tucker says their first album, Volume 1, is a true collaboration. Unlike the self-indulgent supergroups of the 1960s and 1970s, he says the Wilburys' music is an unexpected pleasure.

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'On Sondheim:' The Musical-Theater Legend At 80.

The New York Times calls Stephen Sondheim the "greatest and perhaps best-known artist in American musical theater." Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for, among others, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Company. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his career in musical theater.

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Arthur Laurents Directs the "Gypsy" Revival.

Writer, producer, and director Arthur Laurents. Laurents wrote the stories for the plays "Gypsy" and "West Side Story" and the screenplays for the movies "The Way We Were" and "The Turning Point." Laurents is currently directing the Broadway revival of "Gypsy," starring Tyne Daly.

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