“This is, ultimately, what makes the book so moving: the creative breakthroughs, the sudden understanding of what one is up to, of what the craft requires, the things that transform a show and make it live. It is crammed full of brilliantly etched accounts of such moments, and trenchant character sketches of some of the great monstres sacrés of the theatre, but above all, of course, it is a cornucopia of some of the greatest lyrics of our – of all – time, some familiar, some rescued from oblivion, all given context and history.”

bitcaw:

Stephen Sondheim with [soprano queen] Barbara Cook at the release of Finishing the Hat

Beautiful.