ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the myth of Sondheim's purported isolationist and auteristic approach to his art by considering the creative genesis and subsequent cinematic transformation of two of his most established theatrical triumphs, Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, through a focus on the disambiguation of the moral rectitude inherent in both narratives. The adaptations from stage to screen of both Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods were successful because of their homogeneity with horror and adult fantasy conventions, their familiar narrative structure and the cleverness of the musical adaptations. Sondheim explores themes of loss, morality and fate, providing 'ephiphanic justification' for the violence and death within his narratives. The Sondheim voice may have been modified, yet the rhythms, rhymes and recurrent motifs are all maintained within another almost through-composed, re-orchestrated score that is 'a puzzle-master's trove of overlapping motifs, internal rhymes, and psychological nuance'.
