Loving You: The Untold Sondheim

Join Steve’s chum Martin Milnes and first love Peter E. Jones to explore Sondheim’s life both behind – and in front – of the camera. From directing Leonard Bernstein’s family in home movies and acting in his own work on screen, through to writing screenplays, his Oscar-win, and investigating the abandoned Hollywood movie of a cult Sondheim musical. 
 
‘I've got a treatment of Anyone Can Whistle, set in the Swiss Alps, called Anyone Can Yodel. If you know anyone who might be interested in producing, give me a call.'  – Sondheim's email to Lin-Manuel Miranda 
How did Madonna react to Warren Beatty choosing Steve’s songs over hers? What did Steve feel about the Oscar-winning movie versions of his shows? And just what exactly happened that memorable night between Katharine Hepburn, Michael Jackson, Tom Stoppard and Steve? 
 
‘Mr. Sondheim – you are a sombre fellow. Couldn't you put a ray of hope into your show by having a ballerina in white coming down from the flies – and dancing across the stage - in such a dark piece as the one you've written?’ – Katharine Hepburn on Assassins
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Jamie Bernstein: Steve The Director
04:03 - James Lapine: Sondheim Acts in ‘Opening Doors’
06:53 - Tom Fitzsimmons: Sondheim Acts in June Moon
11:05 - Steve & Martin: Movie Wordplay Puzzles
18:33 - Katharine Hepburn: The Prickly Next-Door-Neighbour
25:44 - Anthony Perkins: Co-writing The Last of Sheila
27:18 - Madonna & The Oscar: ‘Sooner Or Later’
31:25 - Lin-Manuel Miranda: Movie Versions of Steve’s Shows
35:30 - Exploring The Sondheim Movie-That-Never-Was
44:37 - Follies: 1974
50:50 - Steve & Martin: ‘A Beautiful Friendship’

Subscribe to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Apple and all good podcast apps to get every episode the moment it is released.
 
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
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CREDITS
Hosts and Producers: Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones
Executive Producer: Jason Caffrey
Produced in partnership with: Creative Kin 
Mixing and Mastering: Phoebe Murdoch, Chris Traves
Directed, Devised and Written by Martin Milnes
 
CAST AND VOICE ACTORS
Alistair McGowan, Charlotte Page, Eddie Andrews, James Gower-Smith, Rebecca Ridout, Daniel Cane and Mehran James McCullough. With Special Appearances by Tom Fitzsimmons, Gary Raymond – and – Elizabeth Seal.

DRAMATIC RE-ENACTMENTS
Written by: Martin Milnes
Produced by: Peter E. Jones
Follies Screenplay by: Hugh Wheeler (with thanks to the Estate of Hugh Wheeler)
 
MUSIC AND SCORE
Original Score Composed by: Peter E. Jones
Music and Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim: Courtesy of The Stephen Sondheim Trust
Sondheim and Bernstein Instrumental Tracks: Provided by Broadway Studio Orchestra
Music of Stephen Sondheim: Played by Colm Molloy
"Give Another Regis Toomey" and Music by Ravel: Played by Gareth Valentine
"Night and Day" and "From This Moment On" (Porter): Played by Steve Ross

FEATURED SONGS & VOCAL PERFORMANCES
"Vissi D’arte” (Puccini): Sung by Maria Callas
"The Glory of Love” (Hill): Played by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
"Love Me Tonight” (Rodgers & Hart): Sung by Jeanette MacDonald
"I Love The Way You Say Goodnight” (Wyle & Pola): Sung by Doris Day and Gene Nelson
"Our Language of Love” (Monnot, More, Henecker & Norman): Sung by Elizabeth Seal
"Always Mademoiselle” (Previn & Lerner): Attempted by Katharine Hepburn

In this unprecedented exploration, hosts Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones discover – in Sondheim’s own words – how Golden Age Hollywood profoundly shaped his personal world view in addition to his work. Featuring never-before-released emails between Steve and Martin, a 1953 letter from Steve in Hollywood, and the premieres of two unknown Sondheim songs in their first official recordings.
 
"Did I tell you about the silent movie stars, all ladies, who I grew up with as they played Mahjong etc in our living room?" – Stephen Sondheim to Martin Milnes 
Steve and Martin’s mutual encyclopaedic knowledge of old movies sparked ‘a beautiful friendship’ unlike any since Steve’s college days with his movie-mad chums. From playing chess with Humphrey Bogart and imitating Bette Davis, to being star-struck around obscure character actors, Martin and PJ affectionately celebrate Steve’s unexpected love of camp and glittering life among the stars.
With special appearances from renowned Script Supervisor Angela Allen (who met Sondheim in 1952 on the set of a notorious camp classic) and Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who recalls how Steve shared with her the original musical version of Sunset Boulevard.

"Don’t show it to anyone. In fact, once you’ve read it, burn this email." – Stephen Sondheim to Martin Milnes
 CHAPTERS:
00:00 - “And Introducing” Steve, Martin, Spielberg & Hitler 
05:34 - Steve’s Love of Gossip and “Life In Movie Terms” 
15:58 - Steve’s Home Movie and The Origins of Pot in Company
20:26 - “Let’s Go To The Movies”: Influencing Steve’s Work
29:27 - Sunset Boulevard: Swanson, Steve & Patti
34:14 - “I’ll Never Forgive Myself”: Steve’s Shyness
37:01 - Bette Davis: Mayhem at Williams College 
42:27 - Margaret Sullavan: “No Sad Songs For Me”
47:05 - Maggie at “The Party Of The Stars”: A Sondheim World Premiere
53:50 - “Lunch With Hats”: The College Chums
56:43 - Torch Song: Steve’s Letter From Hollywood, 1953

Subscribe to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Apple and all good podcast apps to get every episode the moment it is released.
 
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
► SUBSCRIBE to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim in your podcast app and be sure to get every episode the moment it is released.
► RATE & REVIEW Leave a review in your podcast app and tell other Sondheim fans why they should listen.
► SHARE Don't keep it to yourself! Share Loving You: The Untold Sondheim with other Sondheim fans you know.
► FOLLOW Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Instagram.
 
CREDITS
Hosts and Producers: Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones
Executive Producer: Jason Caffrey
Produced in partnership with: Creative Kin 
Mixing and Mastering: Phoebe Murdoch, Chris Traves
Directed, Devised and Written by Martin Milnes
 
CAST AND VOICE ACTORS
Alistair McGowan, Daniel Cane, Michael Aspel, Harry James-Taylor, Pauline Milnes, Martin’s Niece Tess, Melissa Redman, Rebecca Ridout, Rosanna Roscoe, Victoria Ward, Arthur Magee, Rosalind Russell, Karsci Wright, Theo Bracey, Sam Trotman, Jonathan Christopher, Samuel Black, Mehran James McCullough – and – legendary 1930s child star of British movie musicals – Hazel Ascot.

DRAMATIC RE-ENACTMENTS
Written by: Martin Milnes
Produced by: Peter E. Jones
 
MUSIC AND SCORE
Original Score Composed by: Peter E. Jones
Music and Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim: Courtesy of The Stephen Sondheim Trust
Songs Produced & Mastered by: Chris Traves
Musical Direction: Gareth Valentine
Sondheim Instrumental Tracks: Provided by Broadway Studio Orchestra
Music of Stephen Sondheim: Played by Colm Molloy
Main Title from Beyond The Forest: Composed by Max Steiner
“Concerto Macabre” from Hangover Square: Composed by Bernard Herrmann
Music from Deception: Composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold

FEATURED SONGS & VOCAL PERFORMANCES
"My Funny Valentine” (Rodgers & Hart): Sung by Mary Martin
"I’m Still Here” (Sondheim): Sung by Nancy Walker
"Let’s Go To The Movies” (Styne & Sondheim), “No Sad Songs For Me” and “The Party Of The Stars” (Sondheim): Sung by Martin Milnes
"Those Wonderful People” (Hughes & Stapley): Sung by Gloria Swanson
"Turn Me Loose On Broadway" (Duke, Cahn, Nash): Sung by Bette Davis
"The Sound of Music” (Rodgers & Hammerstein): Sung by Jean Bayless

Sondheim's list of 'Songs I Wish I’d Written (At Least In Part)' sparks memories and insights from Broadway's finest musical talents.
Hosts Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones sit down with a powerhouse line-up of Broadway giants to explore the private, generous, and highly sentimental side of Stephen Sondheim. 
Sondheim's esteemed friends and colleagues John Kander, Richard Maltby Jr, David Shire, Jonathan Tunick and Maury Yeston offer an unprecedented and unique view of Sondheim's musicianship, artistry and love of his friends' work.
From glittering 1960s parties to intimate evenings drinking wine and listening to records in Sondheim's study, we learn, including through unpublished Sondheim emails, the respect and support this legendary composer-lyricist offered his peers.
Hear how a young Jonathan Tunick was hired to orchestrate Company over 10 scotches, the true origins of the song "Being Alive," and how Steve's list of 'Songs I Wish I'd Written (At Least In Part)' served as his ultimate love letter to his peers.
"Everybody thinks that Steve is actually as complicated as his music is ... He was a bubi! He was the sweetest man in the world." – Maury Yeston

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction: John Kander on Sondheim's Compassion and Generosity 
05:16 - "Songs I Wish I'd Written": Exploring Sondheim’s Famous List 
08:29 - Falling in Love Over Music: Peter E Jones and Stephen Sondheim 
10:50 - The Prince Parties and Early Broadway Struggles: Maltby & Shire 
17:35 - Sondheim's Secret Sentimentality 
24:04 - Jonathan Tunick: Orchestrating the Genius of Stephen Sondheim 
30:12 - "He Played What He Wrote": The Unique Process of Orchestrating Sondheim 
35:29 - Maury Yeston: Sondheim’s Generosity and Modesty 
43:42 - Peter E. Jones' Song On The List: "Bluellow"
46:31 - John Kander: A 70-year Friendship
Subscribe to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Apple and all good podcast apps to get every episode the moment it is released.
SUPPORT THE SHOW:
► SUBSCRIBE to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim in your podcast app and be sure to get every episode the moment it is released.
► RATE & REVIEW Leave a review in your podcast app and tell other Sondheim fans why they should listen.
► SHARE Don't keep it to yourself! Share Loving You: The Untold Sondheim with other Sondheim fans you know.
► FOLLOW Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Instagram.

CREDITS
Hosts and Producers: Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones
Executive Producer: Jason Caffrey
Produced in partnership with: Creative Kin 
Mixing and Mastering: Phoebe Murdoch, Chris Traves
Directed, Devised and Written by Martin Milnes

CAST AND VOICE ACTORS
Alistair McGowan, Eddie Andrews, Rebecca Ridout, Nathanael Hodgkiss, Taaron Jeram, Jude Peters, Melissa Redman, Mitchell Walsh, Jonathan Christopher, Mehran James McCullough
DRAMATIC RE-ENACTMENTS
Written by: Martin Milnes
Produced by: Peter E. Jones
MUSIC AND SCORE
Original Score Composed by: Peter E. Jones
Songs Produced & Mastered by: Chris Traves
Musical Direction: Gareth Valentine
Piano Accompaniment: Sam Young
Sondheim Instrumental Tracks: Provided by Broadway Studio Orchestra
Music of Stephen Sondheim: Played by Colm Molloy
"Comedy Tonight": Played by Gareth Valentine
"How Does the Wine Taste?" (Vamp): Composed by Harold Karr
"Make A Wish" (Overture): Composed by Hugh Martin
"A Hero's Love" (from The Sap of Life): Played by David Shire
"Matchmaker, Matchmaker": Played by Steve Ross
"Marlowe's Theme" (from Farewell, My Lovely) & "Salsatian" (from Saturday Night Fever): Composed by David Shire

FEATURED SONGS & VOCAL PERFORMANCES
"Travel" (by Maltby & Shire): Sung by Chloe Hopcroft, Nic Myers and Kit Pakapom
"New Words" (by Maury Yeston): Sung by Lauren Jones
"The Golden Willow Tree" (by Aaron Copland): Sung by Bruce Graham
"Home" (by Kander and Ebb): Sung by Mildred Natwick and the original Broadway cast of 70 Girls, 70
"I'll Never Go There Anymore" (by Moose Charlap and Eddie Lawrence): Screeched by Moose Charlap on the original composers' demo tape
"Hard Hearted Hannah" (by Milton Ager, Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow and Charles Bates): Sung by Belle Baker
"To Be Alive" and "How Do You Do I Love You?": Sung by Richard Maltby Jr and played by David Shire
Excerpt from "Bluellow" (by Peter E. Jones): Sung by Lauren Jones and Shane O'Riordan

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

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
► SUBSCRIBE to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim in your podcast app and be sure to get every episode the moment it is released.
► RATE & REVIEW Leave a review in your podcast app and tell other Sondheim fans why they should listen.
► SHARE Don't keep it to yourself! Share Loving You: The Untold Sondheim with other Sondheim fans you know.
► FOLLOW Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Instagram.

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.

Discover the Stephen Sondheim his friends knew and loved.
Premieres on 5 March 2026
Loving You: The Untold Sondheim is an unprecedented new podcast series that paints an intimate and candid portrait of the man behind the myth.
Hosted by Stephen Sondheim’s close friend, Martin Milnes, and his first love, Peter E Jones, this series offers a deeply personal look at Sondheim’s life. Through exclusive, never-before-released emails and informal chats, we draw back the curtain on the genius who changed musical theatre forever.
Season 1 features celebrity voices from Steve’s inner circle, including 
Julie Andrews, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Mia Farrow, Ronan Farrow and Maria Friedman. 
Whether you are a lifelong fan or new to his work, this is Sondheim as he was known by those who loved him best.

"I have to say that I absolutely adored him. If he had said, ‘Would you marry me?’ I think I would've seriously considered it because he was so darned attractive in an amazing way." — Julie Andrews

Subscribe to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim in your podcast app to get every episode the moment it is released.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Personal Side of Broadway Giant Stephen Sondheim
00:34 Meet the Hosts: Steve’s Friend Martin Milnes and First Love Peter E Jones
00:50 An Unprecedented Tribute: Friends, Encouragers and Partners
01:09 Exclusive Insights: Unpublished Emails and Untold Stories
01:29 Loving You: A Podcast by Sondheim’s Friends, with Sondheim’s Friends

SUPPORT THE SHOW:
► SUBSCRIBE to Loving You: The Untold Sondheim in your podcast app and be sure to get every episode the moment it is released.
► RATE & REVIEW Leave a review in your podcast app and tell other Sondheim fans why they should listen.
► SHARE Don't keep it to yourself! Share Loving You: The Untold Sondheim with other Sondheim fans you know.
► FOLLOW Loving You: The Untold Sondheim on Insta at Instagram.

CREDITS
Hosts and Producers: Martin Milnes and Peter E. Jones
Executive Producer: Jason Caffrey
Produced in association with: Creative Kin 
Audio Engineer: Chris Traves
Original Score: Peter E. Jones
Devised, Directed and Written by Martin Milnes