James Lapine

American playwright and director

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July 23, 2026

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James Lapine is an American playwright and director known for his collaborations with composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Together, they created the Tony Award-winning musicals Sunday in the Park with George (1984), inspired by Georges Seurat's painting, and Into the Woods (1987), which interweaves familiar fairy tales. They also collaborated on Passion (1994), a musical based on an Italian film. Lapine's work with Sondheim marked a significant contribution to contemporary musical theater, moving away from more traditional styles.12

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Stephen Sondheim
James Lapine to create Sunday in the Park with George (1984), a musical inspired by the painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by pointillist Georges Seurat. Sondheim and Lapine paired again for Into the Woods (1987; film 2014), which deconstructs and…
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James Lapine to create Sunday in the Park with George (1984), a musical inspired by the painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by pointillist Georges Seurat. Sondheim and Lapine paired again for Into the Woods (1987; film 2014), which deconstructs and…
Read More

Into the Woods
Stephen Sondheim and playwright-director James Lapine that combines the plots of familiar fairy tales. A dark comedy, the story of Into the Woods takes inspiration from the more melancholy and frightful elements of original folk and fairy tales—including the deaths of major characters—and features plot elements and figures from…
Read More
Stephen Sondheim and playwright-director James Lapine that combines the plots of familiar fairy tales. A dark comedy, the story of Into the Woods takes inspiration from the more melancholy and frightful elements of original folk and fairy tales—including the deaths of major characters—and features plot elements and figures from…
Read More