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
ep31 Matching Minds as Textbook
This episode looks at how Matching Minds with Sondheim is used as a college textbook. Eric Zimmerman describes integrating the book’s design-principle lists into a puzzle unit at New York University where students build puzzles under constraints, while former student...
ep30 Sondheim and Board Games
Our latest episode focuses on welcoming NYU Game Center co-founder Eric Zimmerman to discuss Stephen Sondheim’s board game designs as experience-forward, theatrical “art pieces.” Barry and Eric examine Sondheim’s 1953 game Stardom (or The Game of Camp), inspired by a...
ep29 A Mash-up of Topics Raised with me About Sondheim
It’s a mash-up! Producer Dennis Caouki weaves together audio from two recent interviews with me—one with mathematician Art Benjamin (via the National Museum of Mathematics’ Starring Math webinar series) and one from Shoshana Greenberg’s Scene to Song podcast—into a...
ep28 Sondheim and Puzzle Boxes with David Staller
Our latest episode focuses on Stephen Sondheim’s fascination with puzzle boxes, featuring guest David Staller, founding artistic director of the Gingold Theatrical Group. Staller describes his Shaw-inspired connection to Sondheim through Hermione Gingold, their...
ep27 Two LITTLE Sondheim Treasure Hunts: A Little Night Music and A Little Jurassic Treasure Hunt
Join Barry Joseph and guests David Spira (Room Escape Artist) and Rachel Allen Duncan (Watson Adventures) to explore why Stephen Sondheim designed treasure hunts for decades, focusing on two with related names: the 1973 A Little Night Music Treasure Hunt at the...
ep26 Writing Sondheim: Researching Sondheim–A Repod of Matching Minds on the Dr. Broadway Podcast
A conversation about Matching Minds from the Dr. Broadway podcast with Dr. Tracey Brent-Chessum and Dr. Kristin Stultz Pressley, focusing on researching Sondheim’s lifelong puzzle-and-game design—from cryptic crosswords and treasure hunts to Atari sessions with John...
ep25 Writing Sondheim: A Conversation with Art Isn’t Easy’s Daniel Okrent
Dan Okrent visits Matching Minds for his FIRST interview (woot! an exclusive) about his highly anticipated biography “Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy” (pub. March 17). Okrent explains the project evolved from a short biographical essay into a thematic, research-heavy...
ep24 Matching Minds on Broadway Nation
In this excerpt from David Armstrong’s Broadway Nation podcast, recorded at a studio overlooking the theater district, Barry and David compare their distinct, Broadway-themed, research-driven books, shared educator backgrounds, and surprising overlaps in their...
ep23 Matching Minds at BroadwayCon, with 3 special guests
Come with Matching Minds to BroadwayCon in New York City during a frigid snowstorm! This episode features special guests and Broadway stars Etai Benson, George Lee Andrews, and Marty Morris, sharing their connections with Sondheim's puzzles and games. Etai recounts...
ep22 Stephen Sondheim and Cryptic Crosswords
Today’s topic: Stephen Sondheim’s passion for cryptic crosswords. Joined by guests Natan Last, Katie Grogg, Ben Zimmer, and Galen Fott, the conversation explores Sondheim's 1968 stint as the puzzle editor for New York Magazine, his influence on the American cryptic...