6. Stephen SondheimCompany

I grew up in a house full of music. When me and my sister were young my parents would go to New York a lot and bring back playbills from shows they saw, and also buy the cast album. I’m a Stephen Sondheim-aholic. I love a lot of the shows but Company is probably my favourite – when the song ‘Being Alive’ comes on I could cry at a drop of a hat. I eventually got to meet Sondheim when I went with Rufus Wainwright to his house, which he called The House That Gypsy Built. The guy who works for him let us in and said, What would you like to drink? It was six o clock. We both said “Water.” And from upstairs, you could hear Sondheim bellowing: “Have some wine, I’m having wine!” I love when you meet people and they’re everything you want them to be.