Stephen Sondheim a no-show at Tonys

NEW YORK, June 19 (UPI) -- Broadway musical composer Stephen Sondheim didn't attend this week's Tony Awards ceremony in New York because he was traveling in Europe.

Sondheim was to receive a Tony for Lifetime Achievement, while two of his musicals -- "Sunday in the Park With George" and "Gypsy" -- were nominated for Best Revival, but lost to "South Pacific."

Sources told the New York Post Sondheim didn't change his travel plans because he wasn't notified about the Lifetime Achievement award by the Tony producers and only found out about it through the media.

However, Sondheim did send an acceptance speech acknowledging all his book writers, which Mandy Patinkin read on stage.

Larry Gelbart, who worked with Sondheim on "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," told the Post: "Steve's (acceptance) letter was very generous because the first time we did 'Forum,' Zero (Mostel) got all the reviews. The book and the score were left on somebody's front step in a basket by strangers in the middle of the night. The second time around, when Phil Silvers did it, they talked about the brilliance of the book. Now it's the Steve Sondheim musical. So I've been through the ages of man with Steve."