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For this special archive edition of City Arts and Lectures, we present a 2008 interview with the lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim.\xa0 Since his Broadway debut at age 27 as the lyricist for \u201cWest Side Story\u201d, Stephen Sondheim has stretched the conventions of musical theater with sophisticated storylines and complex musicality.\xa0 Though his work has always been controversial, and met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences, Sondheim\u2019s impact on music theater is undeniable. His landmark shows include \u201cCompany\u201d, \u201cInto the Woods\u201d, \u201cA Little Night Music\u201d, \u201cSunday in the Park with George\u201d, \u201cAssassins\u201d, and \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d.\xa0 Sondheim has won eight Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, eight Tony Awards, and received the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. \xa0

Stephen Sondheim died on Friday, November 26, 2021, the day after enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner with friends.\xa0 He was 91 years old. \xa0At the time of his death, he was working on a new musical called \u201cSquare One\u201d.

In this program, recorded on March 9, 2008, Sondheim was interviewed on the stage of the Herbst Theater in San Francisco by Frank Rich of the New York Times.\xa0 Join me now for a 2008 conversation with the late Stephen Sondheim.