How Sondheim Earned an Oscar

By Dan Hagen

The young Stephen Sondheim

In one of history’s synchronicities, the famed Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim found a childhood family friend in the famed Broadway composer Oscar Hammerstein, who recognized Stevie’s talent from the start.

In his 1998 book Stephen Sondheim, biographer Meryle Secrest notes that Hammerstein put the teenaged Sondheim’s ambitions to the test by creating a singular course of study for him. He told the boy to write four musicals: the first based on a play he admired; the second based on a play he thought needed improvement; the third based on some story or novel that hadn’t already been converted into a play; and finally, an original story of his own. A task few could accomplish, but the teacher had gotten to know his pupil, gotten to know all about him.

When Sondheim reached the third herculean labor, he decided to adapt the Mary Poppins stories by P.L. Travers (The Disney movie was still a dozen years in the future).

Sondheim completed three-quarters of the project, but could never make it gel to his satisfaction. “(T)hat is a pity, because his own portrait of the insufferably perfect governess is much more nuanced and believable than the one offered by the famous film starring Julie Andrews,” Secrest observed.

Too bad. Would have been interesting to see what the chilly sensibility of Stephen Sondheim would have made of that surprisingly chilly children’s character.

Hammerstein and Sondheim are on the right

Someone else had the same idea. While visiting London years later, Sondheim got a call from Travers, who said, “Mr. Sondheim, I would like you to adapt Mary Poppins for the stage.” She was undoubtedly astonished to find that he had already done so, at age 19.