Sondheim & Co

"Sondheim & Co" is the complete, behind-the-scenes story of the making of Stephen Sondheim's musicals. Written with the full co-operation of Sondheim himself, it examines each of Sondheim's masterpieces - including "West Side Story", "Gypsy", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Company", "Follies", "A Little Night Music", "Sweeney Todd", "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Into the Woods" - as well as the other Sondheim productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in repertory, as revivals, as opera, on film, and on television. this account is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with Sondheim and his associates.

This is an updated and revised version of the author's 1974 study of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, including the four shows he has produced since A Little Night Music. Sondheim's creative genius has shaped the contemporary musical, and Zadan interweaves comments by Sondheim's colleagues with a wealth of information about the shows to display the composer's enormous talent. As in the first edition, the focus is on Sondheim's career and accomplishments, and biography is skimpy, except for some isolated, tantalizing facts. But no matter; the detail about the process of putting together a show, plus the profuse illustrations and appendixes containing production information, etc., add up to required reading for all musical theater lovers. Highly recommended, even to libraries owning the first edition.Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.