Sondheim, played for laughs

No one is officially saying that the new HBO series, "The Miraculous Year," is specifically based on the life of legendary gay Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, but it's hard to miss the resemblances. Sondheim suffered a heart attack at age 49, and "Year"'s protagonist (played by Tony-winning actor Norbert Leo Butz) is a 44-year-old Broadway composer who suffers an aneurysm. But whether it's based onreal life, "The Miraculous Year" sounds promising, with a cast that also features fellow Tony winners Frank Langella, Patti LuPone and Eddie Redmayne, plus Oscar-winners Susan Sarandon (acting) and Kathryn Bigelow (directing the pilot, written by gay Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan). Authences will have to wait until the possibly miraculous year of 20 1 1 to catch what promises to be a dishy dive into Broadway's backstage drama.