The first and only full-scale and definitive biography of the most important composer-lyricist in musical theater today.
Drawing on personal conversations with Sondheim himself, as well as interviews with his friends, family, collaborators, and lovers, Secrest offers new insight into the enigmatic and very private Stephen Sondheim. Here, we learn about his childhood on New York's Upper West Side, his parents' devastating divorce, and his ascent to the peaks of the Broadway musical. Secrest vividly recreates the energy, passion, and despair that went into each beloved show, from Sondheim's fabled collaboration with Hal Prince on "Sweeney Todd" and "A Little Night Music," to his disagreements with co-lyricist Leonard Bernstein on "West Side Story." A fascinating and remarkable portrait of the man, the music, and the genius of Stephen Sondheim: star of his own fascinating and unfinished life.

Reviews

"A great read, magnificently reported and full of insights." --"USA Today"
"An indispensable book." --"The Wall Street Journal"
"Intriguing. . . . An evenhanded portrait of a sensitive but essentially solitary man." --"The New York Times"
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"Memorable. . . . Secrest's biography of Sondheim brilliantly captures the uncertainties of a life in the theater." --"People"
"Even walking Sondheim encyclopedias will find news here. Secrest spent hours interviewing Sondheim, and he talked with unprecedented candor about his homosexuality, his unhappy childhood and his 'snappish intolerance' of others." --"Newsweek "
"Admirable. . . . [Secrest] is clearly a tireless researcher and marathon interviewer. . . . Those with and those without a special interest in the musical theater are kept happy." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Impressively researched, eminently readable. . . . [Secrest] does a remarkable job of integrating the life and the work. Th