Something's Coming | Discovering Stephen Sondheim: The Man, The Friend, The Partner

In this unprecedented tribute to legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, hosts Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones open a deeply personal window onto the Sondheim they knew and loved. 

Peter – known affectionately as PJ – was Stephen Sondheim's former partner and first love. For 30 years, PJ remained at Steve's side as his lifelong trusted ally. Martin was Steve's close friend in the last six years of his life, bonding over a shared passion for obscure old movies.

Together, PJ and Martin draw back the curtain on Stephen Sondheim's life away from spotlight; sharing the 'Steve' which only his friends got to see. 

"We're going to embark on a quest, like going Into The Woods! To find not 'Stephen Sondheim' - but Steve. And share what a wonderful human being he was with the world."
– Peter E. Jones

They share intimate memories from inside Stephen Sondheim's New York townhouse at 246 East 49th Street, including the famous "Six O'Clock Slot" – a cherished time when Sondheim loved to entertain guests with pure conversation and drinks. 

And previously unheard stories of celebrity visitors, including Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Bradley Cooper.

Stephen Sondheim's passion for Golden Age movies is uncovered, as well as the profound difference between his carefully curated public persona and the private optimist his friends knew.

As a finale, Martin and PJ welcome a very special guest: Dame Julie Andrews.

As a global musical theatre icon famed for landmark Broadway roles including Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Queen Guinevere in Camelot, Dame Julie was a peer and lifelong friend of Stephen Sondheim. She recalls shared holidays - and how she would always "weep at Sondheim".

"I think because one knew that Steve overcame so much in his youth, and then wrote so brilliantly and beautifully and wittily, and wickedly... it made me cry for so many reasons." – Dame Julie Andrews

Subscribe to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Apple and all good podcast apps to get every episode the moment it is released.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introducing Stephen Sondheim: The man behind the legend

08:10 - Stephen Sondheim’s first love: Peter E Jones

11:59 - The "Six O'Clock Slot": Inside Sondheim’s New York townhouse

14:03 - Famous Faces: Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand & Bradley Cooper

18:05 - Sondheim's Obsession with Golden Age Cinema

29:28 - The Public Persona vs. The Private Optimist

34:07 - Sondheim, Bernstein and Robbins: Making West Side Story

38:17 - Professional Jealousy & The Complexities of Being an Icon

43:00 - Sondheim’s Early Years: A Complicated Childhood
47:20 - Julie Andrews: A Six-Decade Friendship

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CREDITS

Hosts and Producers: Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones

Executive Producer: Jason Caffrey

Produced in association with: Creative Kin 

Mixing and Mastering: Phoebe Murdoch, Chris Traves
Directed, Devised and Written by Martin Milnes

Cast & Voice Actors

Newscasters: Samuel Black, Maya Post, Jonathan Bruce-King, James Gower Smith, Rebecca Ridout, Bruce Graham, Yeukayi Ushe, Elen Mon Wayne, Susan Fleet and Jonathan Christopher
Julie & Steve's Alderney Photographer: Alan Milnes
Credits: Mehran James McCullough

Music & Score
Original Podcast Score: Composed by Peter E. Jones
Instrumental Tracks (Sondheim and Bernstein): Provided by Broadway Studio Orchestra
Music of Stephen Sondheim: Played by Colm Molloy
"Too Many Mornings": Played by Gareth Valentine
Party Pianist: Steve Ross (Played "How About You?" by Burton Lane and Ralph Freed)

Featured Songs & Vocal Performances:
"Some Enchanted Evening" (Rodgers & Hammerstein) & "Luck Be A Lady" (Frank Loesser): Sung by Barbra Streisand
"If You Hadn't, But You Did" (Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green): Sung by Martin Milnes
"You're Just in Love" (Irving Berlin): Sung by Ethel Merman
"Soliloquy" (Rodgers & Hammerstein): Sung by John Raitt
"Epiphany" (Stephen Sondheim): Sung by Len Cariou
"I Have a Love" (Bernstein & Sondheim): Sung by Dame Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett
"Then You May Take Me to the Fair" (Lerner and Loewe): Sung by Dame Julie Andrews
"As Time Goes By": Written by Herman Hupfeld
"Something Good": Composed by Richard Rodgers
"33 Sondheim Numbers in 5 Minutes": Performed by Ferris and Milnes (Official music video available on YouTube)

Acknowledgements & Permissions
Lena Horne Audio: Used by kind permission of Ms. Horne's granddaughter, Jenny Lumet, and her daughter, the late Gail Lumet Buckley.
Special Thanks to: Joshua Ellis, James L. Nederlander, and Christina Selby.