The onstage chat will be introduced by Broadway and Canadian director Des McAnuff, who directed Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2009. That staging will be resurrected for a Toronto run Dec. 15, 2010-Jan. 16, 2011, at the Canon Theatre.

The appearance also coincides with the fall publication of Sondheim's new book, "Finishing The Hat — Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes" (in stores Oct. 26.

Composer and lyricist Sondheim won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sunday in the Park With George, and broke ground in the advancement of musical theatre with Company, A Little Night Music, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Pacific Overtures and more. His early landmark works (for which he wrote lyrics) are Gypsy and West Side Story.

Producer David Mirvish is presenting An Evening With Stephen Sondheim. According the presenters, in the "live, unscripted conversation, Mr. Sondheim will reminisce about his career (including his collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins and Tim Burton), his predecessors (including his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II), the state of the musical theatre, the differences between film and theatre 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.

It is an evening that will offer a most personal and engaging view of Stephen Sondheim and his life in the theatre." Tickets for the 8 PM event at The Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King Street West, Toronto, are $22-$69. Premium seats are $99, a price that includes a copy of the book "Finishing The Hat" (retail price $46); one copy per order (minimum two tickets per order).

For tickets, visit www.mirvish.com or call (416) 872-1212 or (800) 461-3333.