Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy

by Stephen M. Silverman Narrated by James Patrick Cronin

Overview

Lively, sophisticated, and filled with first-person tributes and glorious images, Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy*lifts the curtain on a Broadway legend. "Aside from Sondheim's own exceptional books...this may be the best coffee-table volume devoted to his work."(Shelf Awareness)

Brimming with insights from a veritable Who's Who of Broadway Babies and complemented by more than two hundred color and black-and-white images, Sondheim:*His Life, His Shows, His Legacy offers a witty, multidimensional look at the musical genius behind Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and the landmark West Side Story and Gypsy.

Exploring the unique bond between Sondheim and his audiences, author Stephen M. Silverman further examines the challenging Sondheim works that continue to develop devoted new followings: Anyone Can Whistle, Pacific Overtures, Merrily We Roll Along, Assassins, and Passion.

The result is a lavish, highly engrossing documentation of the dynamic force who reshaped twentieth-century American musical history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Somewhere between a biography and a coffee-table book, Stephen M. Silverman's new title makes a perfect companion to our current age of Sondheim remembrance."—Entertainment Weekly

"Lavishly illustrated, handsomely produced, and supplemented by many of Sondheim's own reflections on his artistic vision...This impressive volume is an important biographical addition to collections on musical theater and the Broadway entertainment industry."—Library Journal (starred review)

"Aside from Sondheim's own exceptional books, Finishing the Hat and Look, I Made a Hat, this may be the best coffee-table volume devoted to his work...Sondheim fans: make room on the coffee table for this one."—Shelf Awareness

Library Journal

★ 08/01/2023

Two years after Stephen Sondheim's (1930–2021) death, his music and lyrical legacy are detailed in Silverman's (The Amusement Park) comprehensive overview of a remarkable career that lasted more than 60 years and touched nearly all the performing arts—television, Hollywood, and, of course, Broadway. While his major Broadway achievements, starting with Gypsy and West Side Story, are discussed, this overview of Sondheim's genius provides interesting background information and insights into what, at the time, were cutting-edge musicals, including Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and Company. Even the less commercially successful Merrily We Roll Along and Passion are given their due. Fans of the 1973 whodunit movie The Last of Sheila, which Sondheim wrote with Anthony Perkins, may be interested to discover the duo wrote two more (unproduced) mystery films together. Lavishly illustrated, handsomely produced, and supplemented by many of Sondheim's own reflections on his artistic vision, there are also many firsthand insights and observations by those who worked with and knew him. VERDICT This impressive volume is an important biographical addition to collections on musical theater and the Broadway entertainment industry.—Herbert E. Shapiro

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178194423
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	09/19/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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