Barry Joseph and guest Andrew Parr page through Stephen Sondheim's passion for puzzle and game magazines. From Sondheim's early fascination with cryptic crosswords to his last major interview about puzzles, this episode uncovers how these collections provided inspiration for his works. Discover how Sondheim managed and preserved his assemblage, hear contributions from renowned puzzle creators, and explore the generational impact of Sondheim's puzzling endeavors.
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00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:42 Introducing Tonight's Episode
01:56 Meet Andrew Parr
03:43 Andrew's Puzzle Box Journey
05:22 Connecting with Sondheim
08:13 Sondheim's Puzzle Collection
13:56 The Doyle Auction Experience
23:13 Unboxing Sondheim's Collection
25:34 Stephen Sondheim's Quest for Eye-Witness
26:41 The Significance of Games and Puzzles Magazine
28:29 Games Magazine and the 4-Star Puzzler
29:36 Stephen Sondheim's Puzzle-Solving Habits
36:55 Sondheim's Markings and Interests in Games
42:58 The Impact of Sondheim's Collection
47:08 Concluding Thoughts and Reflections
Special Links:
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Andrew Parr’s True North Puzzles
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Dr. Nicholas Phillips’ AffineCreations
Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.