One of Stephen Sondheim's last interviews: Reporter's notebook

Stephen Sondheim died at the age of 91.

Stephen Sondheim has done the masterpiece musicals of our age, and we were about to talk about one of his classics, "West Side Story."

Editorial producer Betsy Hill, who booked the interview, and I arrived to meet with Sondheim on Nov. 11.

As the crew were setting up, we fell into conversation. We talked about some of the things that surrounded us. The room was a feast of objects and art he’d collected from shows along the way. Victorian drawings from the era of "Sweeney Todd." A small Victorian photo chest that Burt Shevelove, the writer of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," had given him.

When the cameras came on, it was much the same. He was clearsighted, warm. It felt like a conversation, not an interview.