Finishing the Hat
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Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim
The winner of seven Tonys, an Academy Award, seven Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize and more--Stephen Sondheim's career has spanned more than half a century; his lyrics have become synonymous with musical theater and popular culture. In Finishing the Hat--titled after perhaps his most autobiographical song, from Sunday in the Park with George--Sondheim has not only collected his lyrics for the first time, he is giving 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 I, 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. Accompanying Sondheim's sparkling writing are behind-the-scenes photographs from each production, along with handwritten music and lyrics from the songwriter's personal collection. Penetrating and surprising, poignant, funny and sometimes provocative, Finishing the Hat is not only an informative look at the art and craft of lyric writing, it is a history of the theater that belongs on the same literary shelf as Moss Hart's Act One and Arthur Miller's Timebends. It is also a book that will leave you humming the final bars of Merrily We Roll Along, while eagerly anticipating the next volume.
Stephen Sondheim is generally recognized as one of the most influential and innovative artists working in contemporary musical theatre. He has written lyrics for West Side Story, Gypsy and Do I Hear a Waltz, and the complete scores (music and lyrics) for works such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Company, A Little Night Music, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Passion, Pacific Overtures and Sweeney Todd/ He has won six Tony Awards for Best Score for a Musical, a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, an Academy Award for Best Song, eight Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and many other honors. James Lapine has written and directed the plays Twelve Dreams, Table Settings, Luck, Pluck and Virtue, Fran's Bed, The Moment When, Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, and Act One, an adaptation of Moss Hart's autobiography. He has written the book for and directed the musicals Into the Woods, Passion and Sunday in the Park with George (all with scores by Stephen Sondheim) and Falsettos, A New Brain, Muscles and Little Miss Sunshine (all with scores by William Finn). He has directed numerous plays on Broadway and at leading theatres around the country, and has received three Tony Awards, five Drama Desk awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780679439073 |
| ISBN 10 | 0679439072 |
| Title | Finishing the Hat |
| Author | Stephen Sondheim |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Random House USA Inc |
| Year published | 2010-10-26 |
| Number of pages | 480 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |