A Conversation with 'Sondheim and Rich' at Avery Fisher Hall 1/18

This January, theater fans will have a rare opportunity to hear and see legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and one of his greatest proponents, New York Times Columnist and former theater critic Frank Rich, share the stage for an evening of onstage conversation. "A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich" will take place on Sunday, January 18, 2009 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, and will feature a rare look into the mind of the most important artist to work in the American musical theater over the past half-century.

During the live, unscripted conversation, Mr. Sondheim and Mr. Rich will reminisce about Stephen Sondheim's career including his collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins and Tim Burton; predecessors, including his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II; the state of American musical theater; the differences between film and theater; and, in a very personal series of reflections, his own creative process, speaking specifically on works ranging from his early shows Gypsy and West Side Story to such later classics as Company, Follies and Sweeney Todd.

Tickets go on sale to the public November 17 at 9am, with a limited number of premium ticket packages available for "A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich." Those who purchase a premium ticket package will receive prime center seating, as well as a signed copy of the new CD-set, Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far. This four CD box set is a collection of music from Sondheim's Broadway shows, film scores, television specials, incidental music and previously unreleased records, as well as photographs from his personal archives.

Mr. Sondheim is well known as a composer, lyricist and playwright, and has influenced a generation of artists and writers through his collaborations on more than a dozen landmark shows, along with the countless standard songs he has written throughout his career. Many of his musicals have been made into movies, with the most recent being the Tim Burton-directed adaptation of Sweeney Todd. Mr. Sondheim has won numerous awards and honors: the Kennedy Center Honors, the Pulitzer Prize, two Grammys, an Oscar and eight Tonys, including a special award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater in 2008.

Mr. Rich is an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times and an acclaimed author. He has been a writer for the Times for over twenty-five years, and before writing his column, served as chief drama critic. Among other honors, Mr. Rich received the George Polk Award for commentary in 2005, and in May 2008 he signed on as a creative consultant to help initiate and develop new programming at the pay-TV network HBO.

Tickets for "A Conversation with Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich" are $35.00, $50.00, $75.00, and $200.00 for the premium package, and will be available at the Avery Fisher Hall box office, Broadway at 65th Street, or by visiting Lincoln Center's website at LincolnCenter.org or AEGLive.com.