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. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network.
The Latest Podcasts
ep17 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. Maria shares insights into Sondheim's work, his love for puzzles and games, and how her...
ep16 Give us more to HEAR: Bonus episode
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....
ep15 Sondheim: Ace Human Hacker, or Sondheim & Parlor Games
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...
ep14 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...
ep13 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? Well,...
ep12 Matching Minds Live at the New York Public Library
In this special event at the New York Public Library for Performing Arts, Barry 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,...
ep11 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. They explore the movie's origins, the...
ep10 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,...
ep9 Sondheim and the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt
Barry Joseph and guests walk through Sondheim’s final treasure hunt. Guest hosts 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...
ep8 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...