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Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast

Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast

By: Barry Joseph & Broadway Podcast Network
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About this listen

 Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast in an open invitation into the puzzle-loving, game-designing mind of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Based on the acclaimed book by Barry Joseph, each episode uncovers the hidden world of Sondheim’s lifelong passion for treasure hunts, cryptic crosswords, parlor games, and more. Join Barry and his guests—puzzle-makers, game designers, and Sondheim aficionados—as they explore how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for friends, colleagues, and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius. Whether you’re a musical theater fan, a puzzlehead, or just Sondheim-curious, this series invites you to match minds with Sondheim. Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, or click here.Barry Joseph & Broadway Podcast Network Art Entertainment & Performing Arts World
Episodes
  • #26-Researching Sondheim--A Repod of Matching Minds on the Dr. Broadway Podcast

    #26-Researching Sondheim--A Repod of Matching Minds on the Dr. Broadway Podcast
    Mar 24 2026
    A conversation about Matching Minds from the Dr. Broadway podcast with Dr. Tracey Brent-Chessum and Dr. Kristin Stultz Pressley, focusing on researching Sondheim’s lifelong puzzle-and-game design—from cryptic crosswords and treasure hunts to Atari sessions with John Weidman, escape rooms, puzzle boxes, and antique board-game collecting—and on Joseph’s methods, interviews, archival work, publishing journey with Applause/Bloomsbury, and ongoing efforts to place materials in institutions like NYPL, the Library of Congress, and the Strong Museum. Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 03:01 Introducing Dr Broadway 06:14 Barry’s Sondheim Journey 07:25 Games For Change Background 09:35 Atari And Game Mechanics 11:36 Sondheim Designed Games 13:18 Walls Of Antique Boards 15:03 Research Methods Archives 16:18 Pandemic Timeline Interviews 16:43 Tracking Memories Ephemera 17:04 Unlocking Interviews 18:06 Honoring Emotional Memories 18:53 Documenting And Archiving 20:49 Publishing Puzzle Theater Hybrid 23:18 New York Times Breakthrough 25:27 Research Rigor And Impact 26:52 Biggest Sondheim Revelation 28:12 Questions For Sondheim 31:21 Ongoing Projects And Farewell Special Links: Dr. Broadway Podcast Colm Molloy Ann Morrison Mateo Chavez Lewis Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • #25-Writing Sondheim: A Conversation with Art Isn't Easy's Daniel Okrent

    #25-Writing Sondheim: A Conversation with Art Isn't Easy's Daniel Okrent
    Mar 10 2026
    Dan Okrent visits Matching Minds for his FIRST interview (woot! an exclusive) about his highly anticipated biography “Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy” (pub. March 17). Okrent explains the project evolved from a short biographical essay into a thematic, research-heavy contemporary biography, drawing on extensive archives and interviews (including 38 people, many close collaborators), with early praise from John Weidman and James Lapine. They discuss why a new Sondheim biography is needed since Meryle Secrest’s work, why James Lapine described it as “The best that has been written about Steve,” the value of Secrest’s Yale interview tapes, and new Library of Congress material clarifying Sondheim’s account of his mother’s letter (“guilt” vs “regret”). Okrent connects Sondheim’s alcoholism, inhibition, revenge themes (notably in “Sweeney Todd”), and life arc from alienation to connection. Finally, Okrent and Barry reflect on their unusual, and quite remarkable, multiyear relationship with each other and with Michael Mitnick that supported both Art Isn’t Easy AND Matching Minds with Sondheim. Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠. 00:00 Art From Demons 00:55 Meet Dan Okrent 02:00 The Name Game 03:35 From Essay To Biography 07:39 Why Another Sondheim Book 09:26 Alcohol And Inhibition 12:23 Secrest Tapes At Yale 16:12 Sweeney Todd And Revenge 19:30 The Mother Letter Revisited 25:36 Password And Lee Remick 29:08 Writing For Insiders 29:40 Finding Your Reader 30:15 Writing for Insiders 31:43 The Missing Five Years 33:52 Procrastination or Passion 34:56 Alienation to Connection 36:13 Musicals That Connect 39:20 How Their Books Shaped Each Other 40:17 Archive Treasure Hunts 42:33 What Writing Revealed 43:53 A Collaborative Email Trio 49:53 The Creative New York Blob 51:20 Hopes and Farewell 53:23 Final Thanks and Signoff Special Links: Dan Okrent Colm Molloy Ann Morrison Mateo Chavez Lewis David Armstron’s Broadway Nation Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • #24-Matching Minds on Broadway Nation

    #24-Matching Minds on Broadway Nation
    Feb 25 2026
    In this excerpt from David Armstrong’s Broadway Nation podcast, recorded at a studio overlooking the theater district, Barry and David compare their distinct, Broadway-themed, research-driven books, shared educator backgrounds, and surprising overlaps in their Sondheim publishing journeys. Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found,⁠ ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠⁠. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 05:09 Hammerstein and Play 06:26 Carousel Treasure Hunt 07:10 Books in Conversation 09:12 Cover Photo and Publisher 10:49 Teaching and Podcast Paths 13:39 Hidden Puzzles Revealed 15:07 Puzzle vs Game Explained 17:20 Sondheim Video Games 18:46 Sondheim Plays Myst 19:21 Distraction Or Fuel 20:58 Cryptic Crossword Legacy 21:37 West Side Thursday Ritual 23:03 Treasure Hunt Vs Scavenger 25:06 1968 Hunt Cast 26:37 Lyrics As Puzzles 28:00 Cinerama Anagram Mind 30:54 Murder Game Origins 32:30 Finishing The Hat Link 34:06 Appropriately Obsessive 35:02 Closing Thanks And Tags Special Links: ⁠Colm Molloy⁠ ⁠Ann Morrison⁠ ⁠Mateo Chavez Lewis⁠ David Armstron’s ⁠Broadway Nation⁠ Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo. And, of course, David Armstrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
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