Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981)
Virgin Books, $69.95 hb, 472 pp
Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, Second Edition
Scarecrow Press, £31.95 hb, 568 pp
Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim & Sondheim on Music by Mark Eden Horowitz
Given Stephen Sondheim’s well-known fondness for verbal games and puzzles (as a diversion from his day job, he has devised crossword puzzles for the New York Times), it seems appropriate to begin this review with a short quiz based on some of the ‘attendant comments and grudges’ referred to in the subtitle of, and dotted throughout, Finishing the Hat. Match the author’s critical judgements to the selected lyricists listed below:
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