It is difficult to deny that Stephen Sondheim is one of Broadway's most outstanding composers. Elysa Gardner comments, "Sondheim's material also reveals a writer whose creative process relies as much on emotional intuition as it does on intellectual sophistication." In the same article, Brian Stokes Mitchell says, "His thoughts are in his work, and his songs can work on many different levels. Also there are intervals in music that can elicit certain emotional responses and he seems to have a real understanding of that"1. According to published Tony Awards statistics, Sondheim is the composer with the largest number of awards for Best Original Musical Score. His honors include best musical for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963), best lyrics and score for Company (1971), b