Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend

By near-universal consensus, Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his generation-celebrated, among other things, for the wit, sophistication, and intricacy of shows from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George. But a less well-known avenue for his brilliance was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and games, from treasure hunts to crosswords to parlor and board games.

Matching Minds with Sondheim is a journey into this rich but largely unmapped aspect of the composer's creative life, illuminating how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for friends, colleagues, and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius. This book opens, for the first time, the door into what Sondheim called his "puzzler's mind," helping readers to better understand the man, his work, and-if they accept the challenge-themselves. Gaming expert Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim's activities, including extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, scores of original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, archival deep dives, and illuminating analysis from both puzzle designers and theater professionals from around the world. Packed with illustrations and insights, this book does more than describe Sondheim's life in puzzles: It allows readers to match minds with the maestro by attempting to solve his puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes.

Author: Barry Joseph
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: 10/02/2025
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.49lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781493085835


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2025
Publishers Weekly 09/15/2025
Library Journal 09/19/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
Barry Joseph is the Principal of Barry Joseph Consulting, a leader in innovating solutions for learning in a digital age, and the co-founder of the Games for Change Festival. As an early developer of after-school game design for youths and an adjunct instructor at New York University, Barry has been a national leader in games-based learning and games for social impact, producing dozens of curriculums, games, and exhibits. Collaborators and clients have included the American Museum of Natural History, Girl Scouts of the USA, the RAND Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, and City College of New York. Barry has been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS Morning News, All Things Considered, and many more. He authored Seltzertopia and co-founded and directs the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum. Learn more at his website MatchingMindsWithSondheim.com.