Sondheim

By Martin Gottfried

Book Overview

This volume tells the complete story of Sondheim's remarkable career - from his earliest days under the wing of Oscar Hammerstein II, through his latest controversial musical, Assassins. In between is Sondheim's brilliant but largely unheralded work as a lyric writer for Leonard Bernstein (in West Side Story) and Jule Styne (in Gypsy), his first experience writing both music and lyrics (for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and the legendary collaborations with producer Harold Prince. Author Martin Gottfried's narrative overview of Sondheim's life and his analysis of the music and lyrics are enhanced by numerous quotations from the composer/lyricist himself.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810941791
• ISBN13: 9780810941793
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 3.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.3" x 0.9" x 9.5"
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Gottfried's "Sondheim" earns my applause, but no ovation.

Quite a book, but not truly a definitive ''in depth" analysis of Mr. Sondheim's shows. Mr. Gottfried brings up many interesting points about Sondheim's shows, but doesn't really, fully completely explore each show, as I was expecting. His "Sweeney Todd" analysis is basically just a long plot summary, with lyrical highlights from a few songs. I was most disappointed by the way Mr. Gottfried barely broke the surface in his analysis of "Assassins". However, there are many wonderful reviews, interviews, commentaries, and photographs. Perhaps my favorite is a portrait of Mr. Sondheim surrounded by his "Sunday in the Park with George" set

Glossy analysis of Stephen Sondheim's career

An authorized look at Sondheim's Broadway career, with numerous glossy photos and interesting commentary from Gottfried, a no-nonsense critic. Gottfried's analysis of Sondheim's works is interesting, but doesn't go enough in-depth into Sondheim's personal life. Still, it's worth it