Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast in an open invitation into the puzzle-loving, game-designing mind of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Based on the acclaimed book by Barry Joseph, each episode uncovers the hidden world of Sondheim’s lifelong passion for treasure hunts, cryptic crosswords, parlor games, and more. Join Barry and his guests—puzzle-makers, game designers, and Sondheim aficionados—as they explore how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for friends, colleagues, and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius. Whether you’re a musical theater fan, a puzzlehead, or just Sondheim-curious, this series invites you to match minds with Sondheim. Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, or click here.
Barry Joseph brings his Matching Minds with Sondheim book tour to London, leading a Sondheim games workshop and presenting “The Puzzling Mind of Sondheim” at NYU London and a special event at Upstairs at the Gatehouse with the Stephen Sondheim Society. The episode includes live performance excerpts (with Oliver Sidney, Rhys Lambert, and Colm Molloy), a first live rendition of the podcast theme, and discussion of Sondheim’s puzzle-editing legacy at New York Magazine, his ties to British cryptics, and his iterative playtesting process, alongside extensive thanks to collaborators, performers, and coordinators.
00:00 London Tour Whirlwind
02:31 NYU London Welcome
04:20 Barry Opens The Talk
07:19 Sondheim Board Game Stardom
10:24 Bartletts Parlor Game Demo
16:08 Wordplay And Cryptics
22:48 Puzzle Boxes And Clarity
26:36 Q And A Highlights
33:33 Sondheim Society Night Begins
36:11 Live Theme Song Performance
38:00 Puzzles As Art Order
39:18 Clarity vs Connection
41:57 Warmup Treasure Clues
44:48 Bernstein Board Game
48:48 Treasure Hunt Theater
51:40 British Cryptic Roots
53:55 Apex Crossword Circle
57:49 Bespoke Jigsaw Gifts
01:02:23 Songs and Game Metaphors
01:09:38 Parlor Game Murder
01:16:27 Q&A Design Lessons
Special Links:
Colm Molloy
Oliver Sidney
Rhys Lambert
The Stephen Sondheim Society
NYU London
Ann Morrison
Mateo Chavez Lewis
Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one and only Anne Morrison. And of course thank you to both New York University and The Stephen Sondheim Society.
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24 Jul 2026
#31-Matching Minds as Text Book
This episode looks at how Matching Minds with Sondheim is used as a college textbook. Eric Zimmerman describes integrating the book’s design-principle lists into a puzzle unit at New York University where students build puzzles under constraints, while former student A. Raph Corwin explains how Sondheim’s principles shaped her narrative puzzle work and led to founding Pigeon’s Path Games, creating location-specific outdoor puzzle game books such as A Haunting in Greenwich Village.
00:00 Scam Warning Intro
09:56 Episode Setup and Guests
12:19 Eric Class Breakdown
14:55 Puzzle Unit in Practice
17:03 Sondheim Meets Game Design
18:29 Teaching with Principles
22:15 Rules Literacy and Humor
24:14 Design Principle Spotlight
25:25 Workshops to Business
28:47 Pigeons Path Games Launch
30:32 Praise and Viability Lessons
33:35 Wrap Up and Credits
Special Links:
Eric Zimmerman
A. Raff Corwin and Pigeon Path Games
NYU’s Game Center
Colm Molloy
Ann Morrison
Mateo Chavez Lewis
Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo.
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30 Jun 2026
#30-Sondheim and Board Games
Our latest episode focuses on welcoming NYU Game Center co-founder Eric Zimmerman to discuss Stephen Sondheim’s board game designs as experience-forward, theatrical “art pieces.” Barry and Eric examine Sondheim’s 1953 game Stardom (or The Game of Camp), inspired by a Hollywood stars’ homes map and featuring rituals, hidden goals, props, and a climb through stardom by secretly “sleeping with” assigned actresses; Joseph shares Sondheim’s letter registering the rules and stating intent to market the game, plus notes on possible re-skins. They also discuss Sondheim’s birthday game for producer Hal Prince (Producer/The Game of Hal Prince), using hand-typed cards with gossip, critics, and Broadway’s economic systems, and Sondheim’s three-game 50th-birthday set for Leonard Bernstein, The Great Conductor Hunt—Diploma (with recorded “chance” audio), Itinerary, and the Lucite mazed Podium (two designed by Milton Glaser).
00:00 Theater Meets Games
00:49 Meet Eric Zimmerman
03:23 Games as Art Culture
05:58 Trivia and Ritual Start
07:26 Stardom Camp Hollywood
14:35 Rules Hidden Goals
19:22 Props and Commercial Plans
23:31 The Game of Producer for Hal Prince
27:42 The Great Conductor Hunt for Leonard Bernstein
35:40 Stars are shining bright!
Special Links:
Eric Zimmerman
NYU’s Game Center
Colm Molloy
Ann Morrison
Mateo Chavez Lewis
Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
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