Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast
The podcast about the games and puzzles of the Broadway legend
All Episodes
#20-Do we really need another book on Sondheim? Barry at the Drama Book Shop
Do we really need another book on Sondheim? That’s the driving question behind Barry’s recent appearance at the venerable Drama Book Shop in New York City. For the 20th episode of the Matching Minds with Sondheim podcast, explore the book-ey-ness of Matching Minds.
#19-How Sondheim Gamified NYC - a talk at MCNY
Join the audience at the Museum of the City of New York as Joseph guides them on a tour of How Stephen Sondheim Gamified New York City. The talk explores the unique ways Sondheim incorporated the city into his games and puzzles.
#18 - About the Author - Barry on The Broadway Radio Show
From an interview with Donald Feltham on his Broadway Radio Show, join Barry on his journey writing a book on Stephen Sondheim's love for puzzles and games, spurred by birthday gifts from his wife.
#17-Steve is Love: Merrily We Play Along
Steve is Love: Merrily We Play Along. Celebrate the upcoming cinematic release of Broadway’s Merrily We Roll Along with this special episode, including an interview with Maria Friedman, the show’s innovative director.
#16-Give us more to hear: Bonus episode
Let me give you more to hear! A bonus episode. Revisit my interview with Richard Schoch, author of How Sondheim Can Change Your Life, exploring how Sondheim's works and different analytical lenses bring out varied interpretations.
#15-Sondheim: Ace Human Hacker, or Sondheim & Parlor Games
You are formally invited to my Sondheim game night party, already underway. Join previous guests David Spira, Kellian Adams, and James McCusker as we tackle and explore Sondheim's intricate world of parlor games, such as Running Charades, The Listening Game, Bartletts, Camouflage, Hostilities, and The Murder Game.
#14-Puzzling Through Sondheim
Please join me as we revisit my guest spots on Hello Puzzler, a delightful podcast hosted by AJ Jacobs and his Chief puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska. Each week, they have a celebrity guest who appears across three episodes, and they then toss puzzles at them like peanuts to an elephant.
#13- Sondheim and Video Games
What. An. Episode! This one focuses on Stephen Sondheim's relationship with video games... sort of. This episode is hard to describe. The audio from today comes from a podcast I was a guest on by Dennis Hensley called Dennis Anyone? So is this just a re-podcast?
#12 - Matching Minds Live at the NYPL
In this special event at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts, Barry Joseph launches his new book, Matching Minds with Sondheim. The session dives into Stephen Sondheim's intricate world of puzzles and games, enriched by anecdotes from Joseph's extensive research, emphasizing the roles of research institutions in the development of the project.
#11 - Unpacking The Last of Sheila
Join us as we unpack the 1973 murder mystery film The Last of Sheila, written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. The discussion features guest James McCusker, a 45-year fan of Sondheim and a college composition professor.
#10 - The Brooklyn Book Festival - It’s Puzzling: The Power of Crosswords and Games
In It's Puzzling: The Power of Crosswords and Games, host Natan Last, author of the cultural history of crosswords, Across the Universe, moderates a discussion at the Brooklyn Book Festival with Barry Joseph, game designer and author of Matching Minds with Sondheim, and Juliana Pache, the creator of Black Crossword.
#09 - Sondheim and the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt
Barry Joseph and guests walk through Sondheim’s final treasure hunt. Guests Kellian Adams Pletcher, a game designer at FableVision Studios, and Robert Lee, a faculty member and current chair of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, join Barry to analyze and discuss Sondheim's love for treasure hunts.
#08 - Periodically Sondheim: His Puzzling Magazines
Barry Joseph and guest Andrew Parr page through Stephen Sondheim's passion for puzzle and game magazines. From Sondheim's early fascination with cryptic crosswords to his last major interview about puzzles, this episode uncovers how these collections provided inspiration for his works.
#07 - Sondheim For Sale: The Doyle Auction
Join us as we revisit the historic, jaw-dropping June 18th, 2024, Doyle Auction featuring items from the collection of Steven Sondheim. The episode explores the special day through interviews by Barry Joseph with guests Grace O'Keefe, Michael Mitnick, and Pat D’Amico, who share their experiences and emotional journeys related to Sondheim memorabilia.
#06 - Writing Sondheim: A Conversation with Richard Schock
Barry Joseph embarks on an insightful dialogue with Richard Schoch, author of How Sondheim Can Change Your Life. The conversation delves into the emotional and intellectual processes behind writing books about Stephen Sondheim, reflecting on the personal connections and lessons drawn from his works.
#05 - Order Out of Chaos: Sondheim and Jigsaw Puzzles
Host Barry Joseph explores the profound connection between Stephen Sondheim and jigsaw puzzles. Joined by guests Michael Mitnick, an ardent collector of Sondheim memorabilia, and David Spira, co-creator of roomescapeartists.com, the trio delves into Sondheim's metaphorical view of puzzles in relation to art.
#04 - Seeking Sondheim in the Stacks: Mark Eden Horowitz
Barry is joined by Mark Eden Horowitz, a senior music specialist at the Library of Congress, to explore the lesser-known aspects of Sondheim's gaming legacy that can be found in their collections.
#03 - Puzzles and Games in the Musicals of Sondheim, Part Two
Dive deep into how puzzles and games serve as leitmotifs throughout Stephen Sondheim's musical works with host Barry Joseph and co-host Gail Leondar-Wright in this second of two parts.
#02- Stephen Sondheim and Escape Rooms
Dive into Stephen Sondheim's love for escape rooms, examining the cultural intersections between theater and interactive games. Featuring immersive theater creator Kellian Adams Pletcher, escape room enthusiasts Lisa and David Spira, and game studies expert Nicholas Fortugno, the discussion centers on Sondheim's love for this new medium.
#01 - Puzzles and Games in the Musicals of Sondheim, Part One
Explore the recurring theme of games and puzzles within Stephen Sondheim's work. Barry Joseph is joined by guest producer Gail Leondar-Wright and experts Eric Henwood-Greer, Mark Halpin, and Natalie Gerber, as the discussion delves into how Sondheim's love for games influenced his musicals.
Introducing Matching Minds with Sondheim
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.
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