James Lapine

Profession

Director, Writer, Producer, Soundtrack, Cinematographer

The Biz: Inside the New HBO Documentary Six By Sondheim

How fortunate for Stephen Sondheim fans that the Broadway musical maestro came of age in the television era. The new HBO documentary Six By Sondheim, premiering Monday at 9/8c, digs deep into TV talk and news program archives to provide a fast moving yet intimate portrait of America's greatest living composer and lyricist. The film also includes several new music-video style interpretations of Sondheim compositions. One includes a cameo by the legend himself in a performance of Opening Doors with Jeremy Jordan, America Ferrera, Laura Osnes and Darren Criss. Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, who directed and co-executive produced Six By Sondheim, offered a glimpse into the filmmaking process.

Mon, Dec 9, 2013

The Biz: Inside the New HBO Documentary Six By Sondheim

Monday Review: Six by Sondheim

Few love words as passionately as Broadway's master composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, but there's one word that makes him cringe: "Hummable," a quality some (erroneously) find lacking in his challenging, rewarding scores. "Drives me up the wall," he growls. Which is why it's such an ironic delight when Sondheim performs as part of a new staging of his autobiographical "Opening Doors" production number (from the initially flop musical Merrily We Roll Along), playing a producer who bullies a team of young songwriters to conjure a "humm-umm-able melody."

Mon, Dec 9, 2013

Mandy Patinkin on His Chicago Hope and Criminal Minds Stints: "I Behaved Abominably"

Looking back on his career, Mandy Patinkin says he's not proud that he was once a very spoiled actor who thought he needed more fame. In a recent New York Times Magazine profile, the Homeland star talks about some of his past career regrets, including how he was fired from Mike Nichols' '86 flick Heartburn and why , on his first starring television gig, he wouldn't listen to his bosses.

Wed, Aug 21, 2013

Mandy Patinkin on His Chicago Hope and Criminal Minds Stints: "I Behaved Abominably"

Little Miss Sunshine Musical to Premiere Next Year

Little Miss Sunshine is headed to the stage for a musical adaptation set to debut next year. Based on the 2006 film, which won two Academy Awards and earned more than $100 million at the box office worldwide, the musical version of Little Miss Sunshine will debut on Feb. 15, 2011, at the La Jolla Playhouse in...

Mon, May 3, 2010