( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW."
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST THIS EVENING IS THE
GREATEST COMPOSER AND LYRICIST IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN
THEATER.
PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE SHOW," STEPHEN SONDHEIM
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT-- IT'S NICE-- IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU
AGAIN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: I GOT A CHANCE TO INTERVIEW A COUPLE OF TIMES AT
THE "COLBERT REPORT," AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SAID TO ME THEN
WAS AS A YOUNG MAN, YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE MENTORED BY
OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II.
I HAVE A PHOTO OF THE TWO OF YOU RIGHT HERE.
>> OH.
>> Stephen: THERE'S HAMMERSTEIN.
THERE'S YOU.
>> 16 YEARS OLD.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL, KID.
YOU LOOK FANTASTIC.
FOR THE-- YOU KNOW, FOR THE PEOPLE OUT THERE, THE BURGEONING
SONDHEIMS OUT THERE, WHAT IS IT THAT HE TAUGHT YOU THAT STILL
STICKS WITH YOU TODAY AS A COMPOSER AND AS A LYRICIST?
>> MAJORLY, HE TAUGHT ME TO WRITE FOR MYSELF.
BECAUSE I WROTE SONGS THAT IMITATED HIM.
HE SAID, "NO, WRITE WHAT YOU FEEL."
HE SAID, "THIS IS WHAT I FEEL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LOVE AND
HUMANITY.
YOU WRITE WHAT YOU FEEL."
AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE NATURAL,
BUT IT'S NOT.
IT'S NOT.
PARTICULARLY, IF YOU THINK HIGHLY OF THE PERSON THAT YOU'RE
IMITATING, WHICH I DID.
>> Stephen: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO-- IT'S NOT A SWITCH
YOU CAN FLIP.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU?
>> NO, NO.
IT TOOK ME-- WELL, I WAS WRITING A SCORE, I WAS WRITING A MUSICAL
RIGHT AFTER I GOT OUT OF COLLEGE, AND IT TOOK ME THE TIME
IT TOOK TO WRITE THAT MUSICAL.
THE MUSICAM ENDED UP NOT VERY GOOD, BUT I HAD LEARNED MY
LESSON.
AND IT SOUNDED LIKE ME, WHICH WASN'T NECESSARILY THE BEST
THING.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WELL, ARE YOU STILL WRITING, BY THE WAY?
>> YES, I AM.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE?
WELL, THAT'S GOOD.
NOT EVERYBODY COMPOSES INTO THEIR 90s.
( APPLAUSE )
FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS WITH A PLAYWRIGHT NAMED DAVID IVES.
AND IT'S CALLED "SQUARE ONE."
AND WE HAD A READING OF IT LAST WEEK, AND WE WERE ENCOURAGED.
SO WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD WITH IT, AND WITH ANY LUCK, WE'LL GET
IT ON NEXT SEASON.
>> Stephen: YOU AND YOUR COLLABORATOR--
( APPLAUSE )
LUPINE WROTE A BOOK "PUTTING IT TOGETHER" ABOUT OF TWO OF YOU
CREATING "SUNDAY IN THE PARK WALL STREET REQUEST GEORGE.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING WITH LUPINE?
>> JAMES IS-- HE'S A GENERATION YOUNGER THAN I.
AND HE WILL GO ANYWHERE.
HE'LL TRY ANYTHING.
I WAS BROUGHT UP MORE CONSERVATIVELY, WHICH-- THE
NUMBER HAS GOT TO BE OR THE SCENE HAS GOT TO BE PERFECT
BEFORE YOU GO INTO REHEARSAL.
AND HE SAID, "NO, LET'S SEE WHERE WE GO.
LET'S SEE HOW IT GOES."
THE IMPROVISATORY OF HIS GENERATION, THAT WAS VERY GOOD
FOR ME, LOOSEN MEADE UP, AND THAT WAS A GREAT DEAL OF FUN TO
WRITE WITH HIM FOR JUST THAT REASON.
>> Stephen: WELL I WAS-- I WAS NICELY ENOUGH, I GOT A NOTE FROM
JAMES LAPINE ASKING ME IF I WOULD BLURB THE BOOK.
>> OH, THANK YOU.
THAT BLURB WAS GREAT.
>> Stephen: AND I WANTED TO READ IT TO THESE PEOPLE.
>> PLEASE.
>> Stephen: IT'S A TRUE STORY AND I WANTED TO SAY IT TO YOU.
YOU MAY KNOW THIS.
WHEN I WAS 19 I READ THE LYRICS OF "PUTTING IT TOGETHER" TO MY
MOTHER SAYING THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH MY LIFE.
EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT "THIS" MIGHT BE.
I COULDN'T STING LIKE MANDY PATINKIN.
I COULDN'T COMPOSE LIKE SONDHEIM BUT THAT PLAY WAS A WINDOW FROM
THIS WORLD TO THAT AND I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR
LAYING OUT THE DESIRE AND THE BEAUTY OF THE ACT OF CREATION
ITSELF, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THAT MAY TAKE YOU.
>> WHEN I READ THAT, I WAS TOUCHED.
AND I'M TOUCHED AGAIN.
THANK YOU
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
NOW, BROADWAY FULLY OPENED THIS WEEK.
>> YEAH, ISN'T THAT GREAT.
>> Stephen: WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
AND SOON "COMPANY," YOUR MUSICAL "COMPANY" IS COMING BACK IN
NOVEMBER, THIS TIME SWAPPING THE GENDER OF MALE-FEMALE OF BOBBIE
AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CAST.
HAVE YOU SEEN IT YET?
>> OH, YEAH, I SAW IT IN LONDON.
AND ALSO, WE HAD A WEEK OF PREVIEWS HERE BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC CLOSED EVERYTHING DOWN.
SO-- IT'S A WONDERFUL PRODUCTION.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
AND I DON'T USUALLY TOUT MY OWN STUFF, BUT I URGE EVERYBODY HERE
TO SEE IT.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERING )
CHRISTINE BURANSKY.
SHE'S TAKING ME.
SHE ASKED ME TO GO WITH HER.
>> YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SUCH A GOOD TIME.
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING EVENINGS I HAD IN
THE THEATER.
THIS LADY, MARIANNE ELLIOTT, WHO DIRECTED IT, IS REMARKABLE.
>> Stephen: IN DECEMBER, WE'LL GET TO SEE STEPHEN SPIELBERG'S
VERSION OF "WEST SIDE STORY," AND YOU VISITED THE SET.
HERE WE GO.
THERE'S ANOTHER.
THERE YOU ARE WITH STEPHEN SPIELBERG ON THE SET.
YOU VISITED WHILE THEY WERE SHOOTING.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US?
WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
>> OH, IT'S TERRIFIC.
AGAIN, TOUTING MY OWN WORK.
NO, IT'S REALLY TERRIFIC.
EVERYBODY, GO.
YOU'LL REALLY HAVE A GOOD TIME.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW THE SHOW, THERE ARE GOING TO BE
SOME REAL SURPRISES IN IT BECAUSE TONY KUSHNER, WHO WROTE
THE SCREEN PLAY, HAS DONE SOME REALLY IMAGINATIVE AND
SURPRISING THINGS WITH THE WAY THE SONGS ARE USED IN THE STORY.
AND THE WHOLE THING IS-- HAS REAL SPARKLE TO IT AND REAL
ENERGY.
AND IT FEELS FRESH.
IT'S JUST-- IT'S REALLY FIRST RATE.
AND MOVIE MUSICALS ARE HARD TO DO, AND THIS ONE, SPIELBERG AND
KUSHNER REALLY NAILED IT.
>> Stephen: IT'S LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: I LOOK FORWARD TO "SQUARE ONE."
>> "SQUARE ONE QINDEED.
>> Stephen: PREVIEWS FOR "COMPANY" ON BROADWAY START
NOVEMBER 15.
STEPHEN SONDHEIM, EVERYBODY THAT'S IT FOR "THE LATE SHOW."
TUNE IN TOMORROW WHEN MY GUEST WILL BE MELISSA McCARTHY.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )