New SIX BY SONDHEIM Sneak Peek Featuring Darren Criss & More

A brief preview of the highly anticipated new HBO documentary all about musical theatre's most acclaimed songwriter, Stephen Sondheim, titled SIX BY SONDHEIM, is now available to view as part of the new Fall 2013 HBO Documentaries preview spot.

"I want to be able to stand in the back of the house and say, 'That musical was worth spending a year and a half of my life on,'" Sondheim himself states in the tantalizing new preview.

Accompanying the footage of the master himself at the piano is a vintage clip of the recording sessions for his landmark musical COMPANY as well as a preliminary sneak peek at one of the six newly created musical sequences within the film - here, what appears to be a look at "Opening Doors" from MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG featuring Glee breakout star and Broadway headliner Darren Criss.

The official synopsis of SIX BY SONDHEIM is as follows: "'Everybody has problems. Nobody goes through life unscathed, and I think if you write about those things, you're going to touch people,' says Stephen Sondheim at the start of Six by Sondheim, an intimate look into his long and prolific career creating ground-breaking work that has redefined the musical theater. Directed by award-winning Broadway director and playwright James Lapine, and predominantly told by Sondheim himself, this 84-minute film weaves together dozens of interviews of Sondheim, conducted throughout his illustrious career. Archival performances of Sondheim classics by stars like Bernadette Peters and Ethel Merman are interspersed with new performances produced exclusively for this feature documentary, showcasing such stars as Audra McDonald, Darren Criss and America Ferrera. Blending theatrical footage with rare interview footage and Sondheim's candid anecdotes, the film underscores Sondheim's unique, conversational songwriting style, and focuses on Sondheim's experiences writing six songs: "Something's Coming," "Opening Doors," "Send in the Clowns," "I'm Still Here," "Being Alive" and "Sunday." Art and life are intertwined for Sondheim, and Six by Sondheim is a story of both."

SIX BY SONDHEIM premieres on December 9 on HBO. For more information, visit the official site here.

View the SIX BY SONDHEIM sneak peek as part of the 2013 HBO Documentaries preview at :45 below.