Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Musical Theater

by Susan Goldman Rubin

Talented lyricist and composer. Innovative collaborator. Musical visionary. Go behind the scenes of Stephen Sondheim's most celebrated musicals in this in-depth look at his life and career.

In high school, Stephen Sondheim put a script in front of his friend and mentor Oscar Hammerstein. "I want you to treat this as if it were a script that just came across your desk," Sondheim told the older man.

"In that case, it's the worst thing I ever read."

So Stephen Sondheim kept writing. He kept composing and in time he became the greatest composer Broadway had ever seen.

Beginning with the opening night of the classic musical West Side Story in 1957, and tracing Stephen's life from boyhood to his struggles as an up and coming Broadway composer/lyricist to a musical theater legend, Susan Rubin's Putting It Together draws readers into the passionate, tumultuous, and musical world of Stephen Sondheim.

Genres: Music

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 3, 2015

About the author

Susan Goldman Rubin is the author of more than forty-five books for young people, including Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter; The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side; and Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow. A long-time instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers Program, Susan Goldman Rubin lives in Malibu, California.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in a bedroom community of New York, we would always see commercials for the various successes on Broadway. And, many times we would line up at the TKTS booth and actually be able to afford to go see some of the wonderful shows we had seen advertised. Thus, reading a biography about Stephen Sondheim is not just really interesting, but is also a trip down memory lane for any theater lover. Susan Goldman Rubin's book is an easy to read and engaging overview of Sondheim's life and oeuvre. As it is geared towards kids, it is understandably short. Even so, it provided enough information to inspire further research. An examination of Sondheim also gave a good introduction into the history of the contemporary musical while imparting important lessons about life in general : work at something you love and don't let any failures get in your way. It was interesting to learn that in addition to his many, many successes, Sondheim had shows that never made it to Broadway or closed quickly -- even ones he truly believed in. I would recommend Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Musical Theater for any theater student or theater lover.

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press for providing an advanced reader copy of this book. This in no way influenced my review.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am deeply confused by this book.

The first 143 pages cover the first thirty years of Sondheim's career (1957-1987).

The last four pages cover the second twenty-eight years (1987-2015; it will be an even thirty years by the time the book is released in 2017).

I mean... I just... what?!

He has written actual shows since 1987 - granted, only five of them, compared to the fourteen he did before that (if you start with West Side Story). None of them were big hits, but Merrily We Roll Along was a notorious flop, and we got a whole chapter on that one.

*scratches head*

Anyway, the coverage of the first half of Sondheim's career is well-researched and interesting enough (it helps to be a huge theatre nerd, which I am). It doesn't exactly shine in the areas of pacing and narrative structure - The Family Romanov this ain't - but it provides a nice, detailed look at a giant of musical theatre.

OR IT WOULD, IF IT DIDN'T ABRUPTLY STOP IN 1987.

[Carol Stephan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephan Sondheim was a huge force in musical theater and is credited with contributing music, lyrics, and sometimes the story to twenty-three shows, some which were made into films or TV productions. This book covers those shows, some in more detail than others. There is some biographical information about Sondheim, although I would have enjoyed reading a bit more on the life of the man himself. There are plenty of black-and-white photographs throughout as well as a list and summary of works at the end.

This book is classified as young adult; I'm not sure if that is because the language is basic or this author writes books for young adults. However, I think adults would enjoy this also, particularly those who don't know a lot about the works of Stephen Sondheim.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Goodreads giveaways. It is a fast, easy read. Enjoyed learning about Sondheim and all of his accomplishments. Not an in depth book, but included enough to satisfy by curiosity about the man.

[Alexia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful and interesting book. I plan in going behind the scenes in theater, so I found this book even more fascinating! He was a truly talented artist.

[Dan Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Sondheim truly changed musical theater. Susan Goldman-Rubin has done a solid job of bringing the evolution of his talent to life. It is interesting to have the behind the curtain look at how a musical play goes from idea to the stage as well as how the famous and not so famous Sondheim made their way to the stage. The book is a quick, easy, and enjoyable read.

I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway.