When I read this, it made me cry.

I’ve had many feelings since my book came out last October, but this is the moment I’ve been waiting to feel – where Sondheim is discussed in public and my book is used to reference Sondheim’s passion for puzzles and games.

As if, “of course.”

As if, finally, Sondheim’s playful side can no longer be ignored, is no longer a surprised, is just assumed to be true.

The common understanding of who Sondheim was forever altered, at first citing my book as the source but then, eventually, my book drops away, becomes redundant.

All authors want the same thing: for their book to find their readers, to have good sales, etc. But specifically this is what I also wanted for my book, to change how people understand who Sondheim was and how his mind worked.

This piece, in the Times of London, is my first step towards redundancy. That’s what made me cry, as I was so moved. It is the first sign that my dream might be coming true.

“There was… a quirkiness to Sondheim’s psyche that his more solemn disciples overlook. Barry Joseph’s new book Matching Minds with Sondheim homes in on how a lifelong passion for puzzles and games fed into his stage work…”

This article, btw, is about a new podcast series, which will begin March 5th (read the full article here). It’s a collaboration between the composer Peter E Jones, Sondheim’s archivist and former partner, and the British author, performer and director Martin Milnes. And it looks like it will be amazing (and be source of more tears for many)! Check it out: @lovingyousondheimpodcast.