Six By Sondheim

James Lapine, who has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim, notably on the musicals Sunday in the Park With George, Passion and Into the Woods, has directed a HBO documentary about my idol titled "Six by Sondheim". I had the pleasure of working with James on "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" in Berlin a dozen years ago. Executive producer of the film is the infamous former New York Times theatre critic and journalist Frank Rich. The documentary is supposed to be brimming with what seem like hundreds of different filmed interviews with Sondheim, dating from 1961 to the present day. Many are interviews Lapine didn't know existed and had never seen, some of them shot on British programs. Strung together, the many interviews are said to draw a consistent portrait of the artist over the years. Sondheim's ideas about his work seemingly formed early and rarely wavered. Neither did his willingness to openly discuss his artistic choices and process. I can't wait to watch the film. It will air Dec. 9, 2013.