NEW YORK - Stephen Sondheim, also known as “GOD” to musical fans, turned ninety years old on Sunday. Widely considered the greatest living theater composer and lyricist in the world, the master writer was supposed to celebrate his big day with the Broadway opening of his show "Company," but due to the mandatory coronavirus shutdown the revival is on hiatus with The Great White Way completely dark.

Growing up, Oscar Hammerstein II, one half of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein duo, acted as a surrogate father to Sondheim, so it’s no surprise his early years on Broadway were spent as a lyricist. In 1957, at the age of 27, he joined forces with Leonard Bernstein to write lyrics for “West Side Story.” Two years later it was a collaboration with Jule Styne for “Gypsy,” and as for the show’s eleven o-clock number, Sondheim actually wrote both the music and lyrics for “Rose’s Turn," something he is not credited for.

His first Broadway show where he was billed as both composer and lyricist was “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” starring Zero Mostel.

In 1970 he teamed up with director Harold Prince and book writer George Furth to debut "Company," a musical centered around a bachelor named Bobby stuck at the crossroads of being single or being in a relationship. The show was a huge hit earning 12 Tony nominations and winning seven including two for Sondheim.

Following "Company," the artist continued to collaborate with Hal Prince. Together they created “Follies,” “A Little Night Music,” “Pacific Overtures” and “Merrily We Roll Along."

In 1979 they opened “Sweeney Todd,” a provocative musical at the time that dealt with a revenge seeking murdering barber and cannibalism. To this day “Sweeney” is considered Sondheim’s magnum opus.

In the 80s and 90s the music man collaborated with book writer and director James Lapine to create “Sunday in the Park with George”, “Into the Woods” and “Passion."

Over the course of his career he’s been honored with dozens of awards including eight Tonys, eight Grammys, and an Academy Award for the song “Sooner or Later” from the film “Dick Tracy." He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985 for “Sunday in the Park with George,” and The Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement in 1993.

Known for his intricate and layered lyrics, Sondheim is an incredible wordsmith. It’s no wonder that he’s obsessed with puzzles. He’s been known to give them as opening night gifts, and he even used to create them for publications like New York Magazine.

Over the years Sondheim’s shows have featured some of the industry’s most notable performers including Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin and more.

Stephen Sondheim’s work is built into the canon of the great musicals of all time and his shows are constantly being revived. He will forever be known for reshaping and rethinking musical theater in its structure and form.