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. Dig deeper into the promotional jigsaw puzzles for the The Last of Sheila. Listen to anecdotes from my experience with the first-ever alternative reality game, The Beast. We’ll end with reflections on publishing a new book, sharing poignant advice for aspiring authors from Richard Schoch, and highlighting how the release of my book has resonated with readers and fans alike.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 The GIve Us More episode (Podcast)

01:57 1. Richard Schock and Anyone Can Whistle

07:53 2. The Last of Sheila's Promotional Jigsaw Puzzles

33:05 5. Richard Schoch, Puzzle Boxes, and Advice to Authors with Upcoming Books

47:37 7. Broadway Radio Show Recommendation

48:14 8. Katz JCC Q&A

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Reality Escape Pod

Richard Schoch

The Last of Sheila production short

Bernie De Koven’s The Well-Played Game

Matthew Farber and Tracy Fullerton’s The Well-Read Game

The Grammar Girl Podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Discussions touch on game history, clever designs, and the emotional nuances Sondheim orchestrated. Learn why Kellian calls Sondheim an “Ace Human Hacker” and why this is my favorite episode to date! 

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to Matching Minds with Sondheim

00:57 Welcome to the Halloween Party

02:06 First Guests Arrive

04:58 Discussing Parlor Games

08:33 Exploring the Listening Game

14:23 Running Charades: Sondheim's Twist

18:26 Playing Bartletts: A Creative Challenge

27:23 Camouflage: Hidden in Plain Sight

33:57 Introducing the Game 'Hostilities'

34:38 Rules and Mechanics of 'Hostilities'

38:05 Reflecting on the Brutality of 'Hostilities'

47:11 Exploring the Murder Game

58:00 Sondheim's Approach to Game Design

01:03:24 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Club Drosselmeyer

Melissa Errico Sondheim In the City

The American Girl's Handy Book

Stephen Schiff 

Richard Maltby, Jr.

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.  And please welcome our new line producer, Dennis Caouki.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. However, to me it was more like knives to a juggler who can't juggle. I tried. Really, I tried. So today you can listen to my second and third appearance. In the first one, Greg challenged me with an inventive and hilarious Sondheim theme puzzle. I'll let him explain how it works. But all you who know the names of Sondheim songs will especially enjoy playing from home. Then in my final appearance, I get to relax and turn the tables on them. I found a number of Sondheim's own puzzles from crosswords and treasure hunts, and challenged both AJ and Greg to try and solve them. Give it a shot at home and see if you do a better job than they did at… matching minds with Sondheim.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to the Puzzle Concept

05:07 Introducing Steven Sandheim

05:26 The Twist: One Letter Changes Everything

05:40 Example: West Side Stork

06:06 Explaining the Puzzle Format

06:13 First Puzzle Challenge

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

The Wonderful World of Words Weekend

The Hello Puzzler Podcast

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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? Well, no. This is my own edit of that episode. See, this is what happened: Dennis invited me onto his podcast, then about an hour in his friend joined us. His name is also Dennis. So this episode could be called A Tale of Two Dennis. Let's call him Dennis 2. It turns out Dennis 2 was friends with Sondheim for around 35 years playing digital games with him. In fact, Sondheim would fly Dennis 2 out from LA just for weekend marathon play sessions of games like Myst and Oxyd. The thing is, Dennis 2 had never spoken publicly about his relationship with Sondheim. Even when Sondheim sent his biographer Meryle Secrest in the nineties to interview him. He never spoke about his relationship with Sondheim until this podcast episode, and it was pretty remarkable. Dennis 1 invited me to be both guest and host, so I got to interview Dennis 2 as well. As you know, my book is based on conversations with and information from over 120 people. But other than John Weidman, no one else spoke with me about playing digital games with Sondheim and how it framed their relationship. And no one shared photos with me. Until Dennis 2. It has been quite a trip! so please join me as we revisit it  together.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 The Mysterious Invitation

00:43 Introduction to the Episode

01:21 A Tale of Two Dennis

01:32 Sondheim's Gaming Obsession

12:22 The Myst Experience

28:24 Sondheim's Humble Beginnings

30:10 The Last of Sheila: A Lifelong Bond

32:14 Games and Mentorship

35:49 Creative Criticism and Friendship

38:49 The Doctor is Out: A Critical Review

40:55 Sondheim's Puzzle Legacy

45:09 Reflections and Final Thoughts

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

"Dennis Anyone?" podcast

Video of Oxyd in Sondheim’s issue of Games Magazine: https://youtube.com/shorts/A-fnPWuzU0U?feature=share
Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along. And SPECIAL thanks to both Dennis Osborne and Dennis Hensley!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Attendees participate in an interactive game inspired by Sondheim, and hear from guest speakers including Richard Maltby Jr. (director and producer, lyricist, and screenwriter) and Daria Begley (writer for The Sondheim Society). Joseph shares insights into Sondheim's creative process, his love for puzzles, and his method of creating clarity and connection through games, offering a unique perspective on the Broadway legend.

This event was recorded at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. All rights reserved.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:15 Introducing Barry Joseph and His Book

02:11 Acknowledgements and Special Thanks

03:00 Interactive Audience Participation

04:04 Honoring Those Who Contributed

05:37 Exploring Sondheim's Puzzles and Games

09:24 Sondheim's Unique Card Game

12:47 Sondheim's Board Games for Bernstein

19:30 Playing Sondheim's Murder Game

22:08 Insights from Richard Malty Jr.

29:17 Sondheim's Jurassic Treasure Hunt

32:07 Daria Begley's Winning Experience

36:10 Sondheim's Puzzle Philosophy

37:25 Book Release and Q&A

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Richard Maltby

American Museum of Natural History

Michelle King

Lost for Words: A Party Card Game of Untranslatable Feelings

The blog post about this event, with photos (including the one with Daria, her T.rex, and the audience). 

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. They explore the movie's origins, the unique parlor games that inspired the screenplay, and its impact on pop culture. Additional insights are provided by David Leopold from the Al Hirschfeld Foundation, highlighting Hirschfeld's unique promotional artwork for the film. The episode concludes by examining the film's game design elements and how they reflect Sondheim's creative mind.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to The Last of Sheila

01:26 Meet the Hosts: Barry and James

02:39 Origins of The Last of Sheila

05:02 Sondheim and Perkins: A Creative Partnership

13:52 The Games in The Last of Sheila

23:41 Exploring the Mysteries in Sheila

31:13 Clinton's Game and the Broken Pattern

32:23 The True Purpose of Clinton's Party

34:59 The Promotion and Press Book

36:23 Al Hirschfeld's Contribution

48:31 The Impact of 'The Last of Sheila'

53:53 Sondheim's Puzzle Design Values

57:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

The Al Hirschfeld Foundation

Hirschfeld's Sondheim: A Poster Book

Animation from Sondheim’s notes at the Library of Congress that create a crossword grid of the actor’s names.

The Last of Sheila production short

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. The conversation delves into the cultural significance of games and puzzles and how they reflect history and community. Barry shares insights from his book while Juliana discusses the creation of Black Crossword and how it connects the African diaspora through daily mini puzzles. They explore themes such as the joy of solving cryptic crosswords, the social dynamics of community-based puzzles, and the personal impacts of puzzling on their own lives. The episode also introduces listeners to the intricacies of cryptic crosswords and how Sondheim popularized them in America.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction and Book Tour Updates

01:54 Brooklyn Book Festival Panel Introduction

02:49 Meet the Panelists

04:20 The Cultural Significance of Games and Puzzles

09:05 Creating Black Crossword

11:58 Sondheim's Fascination with Games

13:38 The Intersection of Puzzles and Culture

20:00 Challenges and Innovations in Crossword Puzzles

25:55 The Everything Bagel Crossword Controversy

26:25 The Art of Clue Writing

28:38 Community and Crosswords

30:32 The Power of Black Crosswords

34:42 Cryptic Crosswords Explained

37:08 Sondheim's Puzzle Legacy

41:42 Personal Stories and Puzzle Connections

44:26 Closing Thoughts on Crosswords and Community

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Natan Last

Juliana Pache

Brooklyn Book Festival

Locavore Variety Store

Recent talk: Interview and book reading at The Drama Book Shop

Recent talk: Playing and Composing with Graduate Students at NYU

Recent talk: Sondheim Week at the New York Public Library for The Performing Arts

Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Exhibit

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Together they explore his design of the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt and the engaging experiences created for friends. The episode features anecdotes from participants in the 2013 City Center treasure hunt (Marty Granoff, Erin Ortman, Alexander Gemignani) highlighting Sondheim's genius in creating these immersive and fun-filled games. It also features analysis from those Joseph brought together to solve them for his book ( Andrew Parr, Jess Butler, Michael Mitnick, Mark Halpin, Richard Malty Jr.) in a half-day “re-staging”. Listen to learn more about Sondheim's playful side, his intellectual generosity, and the intricate puzzles that made his hunts legendary.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to Matching Minds with Sondheim

01:15 Meet the Guests: Kellian Adams Pletcher and Robert Lee

02:28 Robert Lee's Journey with Sondheim and Games

06:19 Kellian's Early Love for Treasure Hunts

07:56 Stephen Sondheim's 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt

11:38 The Mechanics of the Treasure Hunt

20:51 Reflections on Sondheim's Puzzle Design

34:28 Exploring Ballroom Game Formats

34:55 Debating Sondheim's Puzzle Intentions

36:50 Diving into the Clues

38:16 The Thrill of Solving Puzzles

39:49 Sondheim's Puzzle Design Philosophy

41:32 The Grid and Grill Puzzle Challenge

43:17 Inclusivity in Puzzle Design

44:37 Solving Clue Number 12

48:57 Reflecting on Sondheim's Legacy

59:35 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Special Links:

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Discover how Sondheim managed and preserved his assemblage, hear contributions from renowned puzzle creators, and explore the generational impact of Sondheim's puzzling endeavors.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:42 Introducing Tonight's Episode

01:56 Meet Andrew Parr

03:43 Andrew's Puzzle Box Journey

05:22 Connecting with Sondheim

08:13 Sondheim's Puzzle Collection

13:56 The Doyle Auction Experience

23:13 Unboxing Sondheim's Collection

25:34 Stephen Sondheim's Quest for Eye-Witness

26:41 The Significance of Games and Puzzles Magazine

28:29 Games Magazine and the 4-Star Puzzler

29:36 Stephen Sondheim's Puzzle-Solving Habits

36:55 Sondheim's Markings and Interests in Games

42:58 The Impact of Sondheim's Collection

47:08 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections

Special Links:

Results from Sondheim auction

Andrew Parr’s True North Puzzles

Dr. Nicholas Phillips’ AffineCreations

Games World of Puzzles magazine

The Strong Museum of Play

Colm Molloy

Ann Morrison

Mateo Chavez Lewis

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. The discussion covers the auction's catalog, its exhibit, the auction day, and the aftermath. Highlights include personal stories, bidding wars, and the unique community of Sondheim enthusiasts that emerged, spreading the iconic artist’s legacy in meaningful ways.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to Matching Minds with Sondheim

00:52 Meet the Guests: Grace, Michael, and Pat

02:36 The Auction Overview: Catalog, Exhibit, Auction, Aftermath

03:37 Chapter One: The Auction Catalog

12:22 Chapter Two: The Exhibit

18:57 Chapter Three: The Auction Begins

23:26 The Auction Room Buzz

23:59 Bidding Stories and Experiences

24:37 Online Bidding Challenges

25:47 Winning and Losing at the Auction

28:03 The Long Auction Day

29:10 Grace's Mission for Tarot Cards

31:23 The Auction's Grand Finale

32:59 The Aftermath and Community Spirit

41:17 Personal Reflections and New Beginnings

45:22 Closing Remarks and Future Plans

Special Links:

Pat’s Estate Sale 2: For the Rest of Us

Results from Sondheim auction

Full pdf of the Dolye auction lots

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices