Stephen Sondheim Says Lady Gaga's 'Sound Of Music' Oscars Tribute "Was a Travesty"

Although many people were moved by Lady Gaga's Sound of Music tribute at the Oscars, famous composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was not.

The Broadway legend, whose credits include West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, sounded off on Mother Monster's performance in an interview.

"On the Academy Awards she was a travesty," Sondheim told The Times, a British newspaper. "It was ridiculous, as it would be from any singer who treats that music in semi-operatic style. She had no relationship to what she was singing. What people liked was her versatility."

Sondheim's, who's now 84, Into the Woods was just turned into a profitable Disney movie musical this past winter, starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt. But many people would disagree with Sondheim's harsh opinion, including the original Maria.

Immediately after Lady Gaga's tribute for The Sound of Music's 50th Anniversary, Julie Andrews rushed onstage to congratulate and thank the singer. Since then, Andrews has been speaking about how she feels about Gaga's performance.

"It was lovely!" Andrews said in an interview with Billboard, "And I was very busy at that time concentrating on her because I felt I had to get to her and tell her how great it was. It's only by seeing a little clip of it afterwards that I realized how lovely that was. And I must say, the audience was amazingly kind and loving and welcoming, too."

There's always a chance that this gracious lady might just be being polite, but it does not seem that way. Andrews also told Billboard that she's "always been a fan" of Gaga.

If you missed Lady Gaga's tribute, you can watch it below. What did you think of her performance?

Tags

Lady Gaga, Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods