Playbill.com: "Look, I Made a Hat," the second volume of the collected and annotated lyrics of groundbreaking theatre songwriter Stephen Sondheim, gathered by the master himself, is officially in bookstores Nov. 22.
Published Knopf, the 480-page illustrated book addresses shows written by the Tony Award winner between 1981 and 2011. Chronologically, it begins with lyrics from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park With George (1984) and ends with a 2010 specialty lyric, "God," that composer-lyricist Sondheim wrote for the Broadway musical Sondheim on Sondheim.
3 comments:
One of the most endearing qualities about Sondheim's music are the lyrics. It only seems natural for him to publish them in written format for those who are interested to read. I find it quite funny and impressive that this task had to be split into two books of hundreds of pages. What a vast carer he has had! Sondheim can now live on not only in music but in print!! Id love to get my hands on a copy.
When people tell me that they don't like musicals because they are shallow or unrealistic, I usually use Sondheim as a counterargument. I think one of the best parts about his musicals are his lyrics. They are so simple, yet so clever. His lyrics also range many styles, from over-the-top and hilarious (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) to heartbreaking, like "Somewhere" from West Side Story.
This book (and the one before it) are definitely on my Christmas list. Stephen Sondheim is one of my role models. I would love to read all of his "Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany."
Sondheim's lyrics never fail to tell a story. The first show I ever worked on as a technician was Into the Woods when I was 14, and it's what really got me into theatre. I know there are some who would not pinpoint that as his finest work, and I'd argue simply because of how it effected what I eventually chose to do with my life, but either way it is obviously poignant in some respect. In another light, Sondheim's first book, "Finishing the Hat," was a wonderfully written piece. So I'd be interested to see what his second work has turned out to be. He hasn't disappointed so far, so hopefully this will continue on to be another chapter in the vastness of his insights and a great addition to his career.
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