Matching Minds With Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim’s passion for puzzles and games wasn’t a quirky sideline—it was central to how he saw the world. While others saw “hedonism,” he saw “Sondheim”... it’s an anagram! Remix the letters and try it yourself. In this interactive event for around a new book, Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend, author Barry Joseph dives into how obscure artifacts—like Sondheim’s private spoken-word album, parlor games exchanged by mail, and hidden clues in old photographs—helped him decode the creative mind behind Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George.

This event will spotlight three of those playful creations: The Great Conductor Hunt, an epic biographical board game about (and for) Leonard Bernstein; The Game of M**der, a macabre parlor mystery; and A Little Jurassic Treasure Hunt, designed for the dinosaur halls of the American Museum of Natural History.

Along the way, Joseph invites us to consider: What can these games reveal about Sondheim’s genius—and the libraries that preserve it? Featuring rare materials, archival clips, and interactive surprises, this is a celebration of intellect, inquiry, and the enduring power of public collections.

About the Book: Described by Tony-nominated actress Melissa Errico as “a window into Sondheim’s brilliant mind,” Matching Minds with Sondheim draws from deep research across institutions like Tthe New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Library of Congress, and Boston University’s Mugar Library. He uncovers archival gems from Sondheim’s lesser-known ventures into board games, party games, and treasure hunts.

Photo Credit: Barry Joseph

SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. Five minutes before the advertised start time, all seats are released, regardless of registration, to our patrons in the stand-by line. If you arrive after the program starts, you will be seated at the discretion of our front-of-house staff.

STANDBY LINE | If registration is sold out or has ended, do not fret! We welcome you to come to the Library regardless of registration status and wait in our standby line, which forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Five minutes before the program starts, all remaining seats are released. While this is not guaranteed, we will do our best to get you into any of our programs.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].

BRUNO WALTER POLICY | Please note that any unoccupied seat will be released five minutes before the show begins and holding seats for anyone beyond that is prohibited. There is no food or drink allowed inside the venue.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING | Programs may be photographed and recorded by and at the discretion of the Library for the Performing Arts and will post signs indicating as such. If you would prefer your image not be captured, please let us know and we can seat you accordingly. Attending any program indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any and all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS | Please send all press inquiries to Alex Teplitzky at [email protected]. Please note that all recording, including professional video recordings, are prohibited without expressed consent from the Library.

Host or Publisher New York Public Library for the Performing Arts