A few interesting insights into Sondheim songs, pointing out especially where the music expressed something other than the lyrics, but for full impact this would need to be conveyed through a music lesson. A lot of the rest of the writing felt like filler, banal platitudes.

A couple of teasing glimpses at the author's life -- if it had been more of a memoir, How Sondheim Changed MY LIfe, it might have been more compelling to me. But he doesn't seem to want to go there, rather to keep things on an impersonal, general, and therefore boring level.

And,the big "revelation" he has about the Baker's Wife from Into the Woods -- that her story is a tragedy because she turned away from the prince who dallied with her to return to her husband and child -- is just absurd.

I made a playlist of songs mentioned in the book. I think listening to Sondheim, is often preferable to reading about Sondheim. (Although I loved James Lapine's book about Sunday in the Park with George.)

It wasn’t until I met my wife that I became familiar with the works Stephen Sondheim. Prior to us meeting, all I knew of him was that he wrote the lyrics to West Side Story and Gypsy. But it wasn’t until Sweeney Todd that I fell head over heels for his shows.

So it’s this background that lead me to read How Sondheim Can Change Your Life, a discussion of eleven Sondheim shows and the life lessons they can potentially teach us. As a huge fan of West Side Story, I was disappointed that the show wasn’t included, though Mr. Schoch does explain his reasoning. The author, depending on which production is being discussed, either takes a broad overview, or can get laser focused on a topic, such as his really interesting discussion of Send In The Clowns from A Little Night Music. For the most part, I discovered many really interesting insights. For this reader, however, there was also material that was just a bit too philosophical for me, though, fortunately, this wasn’t a common occurrence.

I’m not sure how appropriate this wonderful book would be for the casual Sondheim fan, but it truly is a great addition to the literature about one of America’s finest Broadway composers.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of the book.

Anyone who's a fan of musical theater, even the ones who only know a few songs, has most likely heard the name Stephen Songheim. This book discusses how the lyrics to the numerous plays he has written can truly change your life. He has a way to take you on a journey with each lyric, not just the rhythm and words, but the meaning behind it. Everyone hears a different song the same as everyone reads a different book. Just because we all listen to his words and music and read this book, does not mean it will all have the same affect and meaning and lasting impression on us and that is what makes it so beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This is such an original take on Sondheim’s work, now that it is unfortunately complete. The author puts into words something that I’ve always felt without realizing it: how Sondheim wrote music for all stages of your life, and that your interpretation of his shows changes as you grow older (Who’s that woman is more poignant now than when I heard it for the first time, in my 20s). This is not a history, musical analysis or even anecdotes, although it includes it all. It is the way the author reads the lessons and messages that Sondheim left for his audience, and how we can apply them to our personal lives to make them better. It is not preachy or grandstanding, and there is not one single way to read it. Chronologically, play by play, the author examines sometimes the full show, others just one part or character. I was shocked to realize that I had been reading a big Follies number all wrong (or not, maybe my take is the “right” one, since the author strongly suggests that there is not one way to look at anything). I’ve been a fan of musicals ever since I can remember. My favorite shows have changed over time, but Sondheim has been the one constant. I loved how Schoch really grasps that and communicates it clearly to the audience. This book won’t be for everyone though, since you need to know or at least like Sondheim to enjoy it. Readers who are new to his music and wish to get to know it, may not find this to be the best introduction, as it is maybe too detailed. I know some of his lyrics by heart and the ones that I was not familiar with I looked up online and I guess I have new favorite shows to discover. You gotta have a gimmick and Schoch certainly entertained me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Atria Books.

Composer Stephen Sondheim’s greatness lies “beyond the clever lyrics, beyond the complex music.” Sondheim can make you a better person:

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“The ambitions, dreams, disasters, and fixations of Sondheim’s characters can teach us how to get through our own lives—so that, like Petra’s vow in A Little Night Music, we’ll not have been dead when we die,” author Richard Schoch (pronounced Shook) argues in How Sondheim Can Change Your Life (Atria Books, 304 pages.)

Schoch, a long-time drama professor, one-time theater director and ardent Sondheim aficionado, extrapolates the life lesson he contends is central to each of a dozen Sondheim musicals. (See chapter titles below.) One need not accept the novel premise to benefit from this scholar’s erudition, insights and enthusiasms.

It’s easy to start out suspicious of the promise in the catchy title, for at least two reasons.

Sondheim did not create the characters on his own. In “Gypsy,” for example, the first musical that the author analyzes, the “characters” were based on real-life people that Gypsy Rose Lee wrote about in her memoir; the musical adaptation had a score by Jule Styne and a libretto by Arthur Laurents. Sondheim served as the lyricist.

And then, much of what the author elucidates is arguably descriptive rather than prescriptive. However much insight the musicals provide into human nature, can individual theatergoers really use them as manuals to change their own lives?

Again using “Gypsy”as the example: Schoch marshals the evidence to conclude that the show is not just about how Madame Rose tries to fulfill her own dreams by imposing them on her children; it’s about how Louise breaks the cycle of emotional and actual abandonment that began generations ago in her family — Rose’s mother abandoned Rose; Rose’s daughter June abandons Rose by eloping with one of the chorus boys. Louise never abandons Rose; she stays with her, supports her, because she is able to become independent both professionally and emotionally. But she does this by becoming a professional stripper; this is hardly a useful roadmap for the average theatergoer.

Such objections seem increasingly trivial given the care and sophistication with which Schoch guides us through the musicals, providing basic plot, context, critical analysis, and something more. “How Sondheim Can Change Your Life” offers a fresh way to look at some great works, without Ignoring Sondheim’s greatness as a lyricist and composer. Rather, Schoch often demonstrates the subtle brilliance with which Sondheim uses his words and music to illuminate character.

In “Company,” for example, the music often deliberately undermines the surface meaning of the lyrics, to indicate that the characters are lying to themselves. In the title number, when all of Bobby’s married friends sing that they love him, the word is sustained for an astonishing fifteen seconds (“We loooooooove you”) – so exaggerated that it feels performative: fake. His friends idealize Bobby, and pity him, and, for their own selfish reasons, want to keep him the way he is, which is lonely. To the author, the musical is not about marriage, as is commonly assumed, but about loneliness.

For Bobby’s part, he says he wants intimacy, but he doesn’t really; this is obvious in the musical number “Barcelona,” but the author closely examines other songs in which his resistance is less obvious, his claims of truly seeking love self-delusional, as the audience understands in part because of the dissonance between the music and the lyrics.

Schoch’s critical analyses are enhanced by research.

His chapter on “Sweeney Todd” cites Francis Bacon’s 19th century essay “Of Revenge,” and recounts a modern Swiss science experiment on the pleasure that people experience from contemplating revenge, as indicated by brain scans.

He mines both published and unpublished sources to tell the story of how Sondheim came up with his most popular song “Send in the Clowns.” He also painstakingly explains how so many singers – including some of the actor-singer students he instructs – get it wrong. The song, like the musical for which it was created, “A Little Night Music,” is about regrets. And in the scene in which she sings the song, Desiree frees herself from her regrets by admitting them, and trying to make amends despite how vulnerable that makes her. There is so much that’s fascinating and wise in Schoch’s analysis of the song that a succinct summary can’t do it justice. Let me also offer a tidbit:
“When an act bombed in an old-time vaudeville show, the stage manager really did bring on the clowns to give the audience a little comic relief after the fiasco they had just witnessed. When Desirée invokes that same image she is admitting that she’s made a mess of her life. But there’s an ironic edge to it. Desirée calls for the proverbial clowns only to realize that they’ve been there all the time—because she is the clown.”

Throughout his book, Schoch includes brief asides about himself at relevant moments in his discussion of one Sondheim musical or another.

He says he is intrigued by the Boatman in “Sunday in the Park With George,” because he too has only one working eye.

He tells us he took the initial critical panning of “Merrily We Roll Along” personally. The same age at the time as the three main characters in their youth, he felt that the song Our Time was “like the echo of my own greedy desire—it’s my time—but amplified in ardor and eloquence.” Decades later, having seen the recent hit revival, “what I feel in the score for Merrily is my own journey: I’m being escorted back into my past but also being warned not to indulge a false nostalgia for it.”

He mentions coming out of the closet in two different chapters. In the chapter on Follies, which he subtitles “How to Survive Your Past,” Schoch discusses Paul’s song “The Road You Didn’t Take,” in which the character pretends not to care about the past, but, as Sondheim indicates in several ways, Paul is actually tormented by it. Then Schoch writes: “whenever I’m in the mood to torture myself…I return to all the roads I didn’t take ,” and then enumerates a few — what if he hadn’t put career over love, what if he hadn’t stayed in the closet in his twenties. “This other Richard is leading a parallel life—the life that this Richard might have led, but now never will. It’s too late.”

Later, the chapter on Into The Woods, which is subtitled “How to Choose the Right Path,” focuses on the Baker’s Wife, and how her hero’s quest to placate the witch changes into a kiss with Prince Charming – the kiss convincing her that the right path for her is the original one she had chosen for herself, back with the Baker. At this point, Schoch recalls the man he himself kissed thirty years ago “who became for me a prince” – a kiss that convinced him to leave the safety of the closet, at a time in the early 1990s when it felt to him like a risk to do so. “Suddenly I was launched into a new phase of my life; into, indeed, life itself. Into the woods, and then out”

When Schoch returns to the discussion of the Baker’s Wife, he argues that, contrary to the view of many others (including actresses who have portrayed her), her rejection of the prince’s kiss is not the mature choice, but “the foreclosing of her own future, the future that the prince has just revealed to her…” – not life with the prince per se, but a fuller life, an awakened consciousness.

“It’s a harsh thing to say, but the Baker’s Wife heard the call of life—and tuned it out,’ Schoch writes. “That’s what I find in her story. She squandered her chance.”

That this PhD from Stanford who has authored scholarly texts can get so personal – not just with these unobtrusive personal asides but with such a humble, anti-authoritative remark like “that’s what I find in her story” – may be the most effective overall lesson in “How Sondheim Can Change Your Life.” Sondheim’s musicals can start changing your life because you start taking them personally. This may be the most satisfying way to approach and appreciate any work of art.

1 Gypsy: How to Be Who You Are
2 Company: How to Get Close
3 Follies: How to Survive Your Past
4 A Little Night Music: How to Handle Your Regrets
5 Pacific Overtures: How to Be a Part of the Whole
6 Sweeney Todd: How (Not) to Deal with Injustice
7 Merrily We Roll Along: How to Grow Up
8 Sunday in the Park with George: How to Be an Artist
9 Into the Woods: How to Choose the Right Path
10 Assassins: How to Let the Darkness In
11 Passion: How to Love
Exit Music: Here We Are

I have been a fan of Stephen Sondheim since I was in middle school all because of my bff and her parents. I devoured the recorded stage shows Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods and listened to all the cast recordings I could get my hands on. My college also offered a semester on Sondheim shows where we read and discussed his work.

How Sondheim Cam Change Your Life was a perfect read that let me revisit some of my favorite shows and think about how they still resonate with me. And yes, I have gotten life lessons from Sondheim songs - some of the same ones the author called out in his books but lots of others too.

I particularly loved the backstory on Merrily We Roll Along and Company as those are two shows I saw and loved this year.

I run into more people who name non-Sondheim shows as their favorites. Reading this book felt like having a drink and discussion with a fellow Sondheim fan and I dug that. Here's to us!

A charming look into the master works of Stephen Sondheim. While I think the book has admittedly limited appeal, it's perfect for the theater fan in your life, and will be a mainstay on theatre kid bookshelves for generations to come.

How Sondheim Can Change Your Life by Richard Schoch is a compelling exploration of the profound impact that Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics have on both theater and life itself. Sondheim, who passed away in 2021, left behind a legacy that continues to resonate deeply with audiences around the world. This book delves into the genius of Sondheim, revealing the universal truths embedded in his works that speak to the human experience in ways few artists can.

Schoch’s book is not just a tribute to Sondheim’s mastery of musical theater but also an insightful guide to understanding how his stories and characters mirror our own lives. Through deep readings of classics like West Side Story, Company, and Into the Woods, Schoch illustrates how Sondheim’s songs go beyond entertainment—they offer lessons on love, loss, ambition, and the complexities of the human condition. For instance, the anguish and longing expressed in “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music or the cautionary wisdom of “Children Will Listen” from Into the Woods resonate with audiences on a personal level, making Sondheim’s work timeless.

The book is rich with anecdotes from Sondheim’s career, shedding light on his creative process and the nuances that make his music so captivating. Schoch also highlights Sondheim’s innovative approach to storytelling, such as the reverse chronology of Merrily We Roll Along or the dual timelines in Sunday in the Park with George. These elements not only showcase Sondheim’s brilliance but also challenge audiences to think differently about narrative and emotion.

Schoch’s personal reflections add another layer of depth to the book, as he shares how Sondheim’s work has influenced his own life. This connection between the author and the subject creates a more intimate reading experience, inviting readers to consider how Sondheim’s musicals have touched their own lives.

How Sondheim Can Change Your Life is an essential read for any fan of musical theater, particularly those who admire Sondheim’s contributions. Schoch’s passion for the subject is evident throughout, making the book both educational and inspiring. Whether you’re a long-time Sondheim enthusiast or new to his work, this book offers valuable insights that will enhance your appreciation of one of the greatest artists in American musical theater.

For those who believe that great art continues to reveal new meanings over time, How Sondheim Can Change Your Life is a testament to Sondheim’s enduring influence. It’s a book that not only honors his legacy but also enriches the reader’s understanding of the powerful connection between music, theater, and life itself.

This is an incredible book and one that I suggest to every theater fan. I will be buying this for friends for sure. Anyone who is a musical theater and sondhein fan will love the stories, music, and advice.

Someone wise once told me that great art can be defined by the fact that you can continue to gain insights each time we encounter it. If that’s the case, then Stephen Sondheim can be considered one of the greatest artists who ever lived. I have listened to, studied, sung, taught, and watched Sondheim since I was in college at the height of his theatrical output (the first Sondheim musical I ever saw was Follies, on Broadway when I was a freshman in college). I thought I had delved pretty deeply into Sondheim, but Richard Schoch’s deep dive into Sondheim’s works opened up new worlds for me. I learned, for example, that the grand aria “My Friends” from Sweeney Todd was sung in 3/4 but to an accompaniment in 7/8, making an eerie mismatch. Nor did I fully internalize all of the times Sondheim used non=traditional constructions: Merrily We Roll Along is told from present to past; Sunday in the Park with George’s second act takes place 100 years later and is an entirely different story. Even Into the Woods, arguably Sondheim’s most performed musical, has much more to learn than at first meets the eye.

I also appreciated Schoch’s personal reflections on his Sondheim journey as well. One of the best thing about Sondheim is his ability to tap into universal emotion. As it did with Schoch’s, it did with me.

I loved loved loved this book, a worthy entry into the Sondheim universe. Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for offering me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a huge fan of Sondheim, I was so excited about this book, and it did not disappoint. I learned so much about Sondheim, his musicals, and life in general. I loved how the book was organized by musical in alphabetical order. I also thought the author’s passion and musicals and Sondheim in particular were really apparent. I found the book to be insightful, heartfelt, and inspiring. I would absolutely recommend this book.