By near-universal consensus, Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his generation—celebrated, among other things, for the wit, sophistication, and intricacy of shows from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George. A less well-known avenue for his brilliant creativity was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and games: from treasure hunts and crossword puzzles to parlor and board games.
Matching Minds with Sondheim is a journey into this rich but largely unmapped aspect of the composer’s creative life, illuminating how Sondheim’s playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for his friends and colleagues. For the first time, this book offers an enthralling tour of what Sondheim described as his “puzzler’s mind,” helping readers to better understand the man, his work, and—if they accept the challenge—themselves. Gaming expert and theatre fan Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim’s activities, collecting his extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, scores of original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, deep dives into Sondheim-related archives from around the country, and analysis from both puzzle designers and theater professionals from around the world. Matching Minds will do more than describe Sondheim’s work: It will allow readers to match minds with the maestro by attempting to solve Sondheimian puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes.
Reactions from early readers:
"Matching Minds does justice to a man who was good at having fun. Readers will have an absolute blast with this book."
"An essential read for anyone who wants to understand what made this creative genius tick."
"This book reveals a little-known facet of Sondheim's creative life and makes the compelling case that Sondheim's genius was not limited to songwriting. Sondheim's interest in puzzles and games has now been given its due, and readers will come away with an appreciation for how games influenced Sondheim's writing and may also develop their own interest in puzzles and games."
"You'll see how Sondheim spent as much time finding the proper clue for a treasure hunt as he did for a lyric in Sweeney Todd, and you'll discover a very human side to one of the singular minds of the last century. Not to be missed!"
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