Those we lost in 2021: Stephen Sondheim remembered by Imelda Staunton

22 March 1930 - 26 November 2021
The actor on the American composer and lyricist who changed musicals, and whose warmth and generous spirit were equally present in the theatre and at home

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If I close my eyes and think of Stephen Sondheim, I remember him sitting in my kitchen in north London. It wasn't a showbiz fest. It was just talking about nothing, about life, about dogs. He was this amazing, mellow man, so personable and warm. Even at the time, I thought, blimey, here is this legend, having a beer in my kitchen. That's one for the book!

He was so extraordinary, the last of the big boys, the final link with the great American songbook, a man with personal connections to Oscar Hammerstein and Leonard Bernstein. He changed musicals, made unhappy musicals happen. He set down such a very good path that led in so many different directions.