#32-Matching Minds LIVE in London

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices