Stephen Sondheim at 80

Recording
The winner of a Pulitzer Prize for drama, Sondheim's 1985 production, Sunday in the Park with George, was based on the life of George Seurat and follows, in its first act, the creation of the artist's immortal painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." In the second act, the story jumps ahead almost one hundred years to trace how the artist's fictional great-grandson struggles to make relevant art in the commercial and flashy late twentieth century. The original Broadway cast included Bernadette Peters, right, who consults with the composer during the making of the show's album in the photo above.

• Glee's Broadway Roots