Side by side by side: as the Kennedy Center lines up six Stephen Sondheim productions in a star-spangled retrospective, the maestro candidly assesses his accomplishments--and confesses to some aspirations unfulfilled.(Interview)

THIS IS AMERICA'S SONDHEIM SUMMER. Through the final days of August, the nation's capital will remain a destination point for musical-theatre aficionados from around the world, as the Kennedy Center throws its considerable resources behind an unprecedented tribute to composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. Six Sondheim musicals, mounted in overlapping repertory with the participation of some of the brightest talents in contemporary musical theatre, along with two concert programs of his songs (by Barbara Cook and Mandy Patinkin), are on the Sondheim Celebration program, ...