Gypsy

Having served as lyricist for West Side Story, young Sondheim was itching for the chance to work as a composer, too, and his friend playwright Arthur Laurents recommended him for that role with a new show based on the fanciful memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. But there was a stumbling block: The show was being built around legendary star Ethel Merman, and she wasn't willing to take a chance on an untested young talent. Despite Laurents' endorsement, she insisted on an established composer she'd worked with before, Jule Styne. Following his advice during West Side Story, Sondheim's mentor Oscar Hammerstein I convinced him to grab the opportunity and write for a star.