The musical tale of a domineering stage mother's inadvertent creation of a burlesque stripper, now available in paperback for the first time. 'Best damn musical I've seen in years!' ― New York Herald Tribune 'Genius!' ― New York Times Stephen Sondheim is generally recognized as one of the most influential and innovative artists working in contemporary musical theatre. He has written lyrics for West Side Story , Gypsy and Do I Hear a Waltz , and the complete scores (music and lyrics) for works such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , Into the Woods , Company , A Little Night Music , Follies , Sunday in the Park with George , Assassins , Passion , Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd . He has won six Tony Awards for Best Score for a Musical, a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, an Academy Award for Best Song, eight Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and many other honors.