Opinions on newer Sondheim books

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/13/17 at 6:21pm

does anyone have On sondheim or Stephen Sondheim and the reinvention of the Broadway musical? Any thoughts or opinions?

[kdogg36]

Posted: 2/13/17 at 6:30pm

I have On Sondheim. It's a quick and informative read, and I learned a lot from it, despite already being a Sondheim fanatic. I especially liked Mordden's discussion around the relationship between the shows and their source material, and his discursive filmography and discography at the end.

[Roland von Berlin]

Posted: 2/18/17 at 7:39pm

I think the best thing about On Sondheim is its fresh approach to what is becoming very familiar material, like all that background on the Italian literary movement that gave birth to the novel that Passion is based on, or the casting of the original Do I Hear a Waltz? This is stuff the other Sondheim books don't have.

I also like the choice of illustrations. Instead of the usual stage shots and so on, you get all sorts of things you couldn't have expected, for instance when the picture of Merrily We Roll Along is of the original play, not the musical, and it's an important moment that Mordden thinks the musical was foolish to leave out.