Sondheim

by Martin Gottfried, Martha Swope (Photographer)

First published in 1993, Sondheim reveals an extraordinary portrait of the most celebrated Broadway composer of our time-the man who gave us A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and other acclaimed musicals. Revised and reissued to coincide with the April 2000 Broadway premiere of Sondheim's latest musical, Wise Guys, starring Nathan Lane, this richly illustrated biography now covers all of the composer's work since 1990, including Passion, Putting It All Together, and, of course, Wise Guys. Drawing on lengthy conversations with Sondheim, including new interviews for this updated edition, critic Martin Gottfried takes readers through the composer's career production by production, analyzing the music and lyrics and revealing intimate details of how Sondheim creates his theater magic. A wealth of photographs bring Sondheim's shows to life. 112 illustrations, 60 in full color, 9 x 11" MARTIN GOTTFRIED, a veteran theater and music critic, is the author of many books, including Abrams' Broadway Musicals and More Broadway Musicals, as well as biographies of Bob Fosse, George Burns, and Angela Lansbury. MARTHA SWOPE was Broadway's preeminent photographer until her recent retirement.

Genres: Theatre, Biography, Music, Nonfiction, Drama

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Martin Gottfried,was a New York drama critic for over forty years and the author of five biographies and two books of theater criticism.

Gottfried graduated from Columbia College in New York City in 1959,and attended Columbia Law School for three semesters, next spending one year with U.S. Army Military Intelligence.Gottfried began his writing career as the classical music critic for The Village Voice, doubling as an off-Broadway reviewer for Women's Wear Daily, a position that made him the youngest member of the New York Drama Critics Circle in the organization's history.

Winner of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism and recipient of two Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships, Martin Gottfried was the chief dramatic critic for the New York Post and Saturday Review. He is the author of A Theater Divided, Jed Harris: The Curse of Genius, All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse, Balancing Act: The Authorized Biography of Angela Lansbury and Nobody’s Fool: The Lives of Danny Kaye.

Reviews

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful introduction to Stephen Sondheim's work. I particularly enjoyed the biographical elements and the section on the craft of show music. Gottfried discusses each of Sondheim's musicals, providing an overview, photos of period productions, in-depth analysis and critique. This book would benefit from a companion CD with snippets from the songs to illustrate the text. I'm not in a position to argue Gottfried's criticism, but appreciated the thoughtful discussion of each show. His introduction led me to investigate Sondheim's musicals by listening to a number of cast recordings.

[Phil Atteberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I bought it for a dollar at a rummage sale and planned to keep it on hand for reference. However, I started reading the Introduction, found it insightful, and read the entire book. I am reasonably knowledgeable about musical theater generally but not about Sondheim specifically. The discussions of the various shows are interesting and intelligent. The many pictures are also enjoyable and helpful. The book was written in 1997, however, so Sondheim's work after that is not considered.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book served as a nice counterpoint to Meryle Secrest's biography, which is focused on Sondheim's personal life. Gottfried's book is much more about the work, and specifically Sondheim's lyrical genius. The section on Sweeney Todd is particularly compelling in its detail. Gottfried obviously has great respect for Sondheim, but takes him to task when he thinks a lyric or a plot point is lame -- it's refreshing to see such a balanced approach.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting. This man is truly a genius. The American musical will never be the same because of him.