Stephen Sondheim is an international landmark in the musical theater. Throughout his nearly six-decade career, the man who picked words and music, that inspired millions of people to sing and dance, was ready to tackle just about any challenge. He started off as an actual entrepreneur, founding Songwriter’s Workshop; he was a Broadway architect, writing new shows for the Great White Way and then writing for the greats like, at one point, including Hello, Dolly!
He has won Tony awards, two Grammys, the Pulitzer Prize, have innumerable American Theater Critics Associations’ awards and the Philadelphia Musical Theatre Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
For his final interview, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien spoke with Sondheim, who spoke out about songwriting, songwriting on Broadway, Elaine Stritch, his eulogy to Julie Andrews, which took almost 50 years to write, and the night he met with the lead singer of West Side Story.
To see the full interview, visit CNN Arts’ website. You can also watch it in the video player above or through CNN’s mobile apps.
To watch some of Sondheim’s interview with CNN’s Bess Kalb:
-Interview with Ewan McGregor, star of “Frozen” and “Mary Poppins Returns”
-Talk to Sondheim about dying from old age, his plans for his 90th birthday
-Interview with Natasha Richardson, daughter of Sondheim and S. Epatha Merkerson
About CNN Arts:
CNN Arts’ mission is to transform how audiences experience the art, and the imagination, of our nation’s artistic past and present. The network’s original content strategy aims to lead the way, delivering deeply-layered storytelling built for TV and web, and complemented by consumer engagement across social and digital channels.
CNN Arts is a multiplatform arts destination, home to original digital content produced exclusively for CNN, which includes Spotlight on Great Performances, CNN Presents, The Sondheim Report, and the Academy Awards. In addition, CNN’s unique and pioneering studio shows and awards shows give a voice to the unseen and a platform to up-and-coming talents by allowing them to tell their stories across their creative disciplines. For more information, visit CNNArt.com.