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Sondheim Is Finishing the Hat
Finishing the Hat By Stephen Soundheim. Published by Knopf.
Titled after perhaps his most autobiographical song, from Sunday in the Park with George, in Finishing the Hat Stephen Sondheim gives readers a rare personal look into his life as well as his remarkable productions.
Along with the lyrics for all of his musicals from 1954 to 1981—including West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd—Sondheim treats us to never-before-published songs from each show, songs that were cut or discarded before seeing the light of day. He discusses his relationship with his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, and his collaborations with extraordinary talents such as Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Ethel Merman, Richard Rodgers, Angela Lansbury, Harold Prince and a panoply of others.
The anecdotes—filled with history, pointed observations and intimate details—transport us back to a time when theater was a major pillar of American culture.
Best of all, Sondheim appraises his work and dissects his lyrics, as well as those of others, offering unparalleled insights into songwriting that will be studied by fans and aspiring songwriters for years to come.
A few of Sounheim’s accomplishments:
• won 7 Tonys
• 1 Academy Award
• 7 Grammys
• 1 Pulitzer Prize
• 1 Kennedy Center Honors
• His career has spanned more than half a century
“After reading Finishing the Hat, I felt as if I had taken a master class in how to write a musical. A class given by the theater’s finest living songwriter. . . . Sondheim’s lyrics are deeper, more invisibly intricate and braver in their search for truth than those of any who have preceded him.” —Paul Simon, New York Times Book Review