About this episode
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. JonesThey 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 AndrewsSubscribe 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 legend08:10 - Stephen Sondheim’s first love: Peter E Jones11:59 - The "Six O'Clock Slot": Inside Sondheim’s New York townhouse14:03 - Famous Faces: Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand & Bradley Cooper18:05 - Sondheim's Obsession with Golden Age Cinema29:28 - The Public Persona vs. The Private Optimist34:07 - Sondheim, Bernstein and Robbins: Making West Side Story38:17 - Professional Jealousy & The Complexities of Being an Icon43:00 - Sondheim’s Early Years: A Complicated Childhood47:20 - Julie Andrews: A Six-Decade Friendship
