Richard Schoch is professor of drama at Queen's University Belfast. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University and received his PhD from Stanford University. He has received fellowships from the Whiting Foundation, The Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Stanford Humanities Center. Before launching his academic career, Schoch directed plays in New York City and worked for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

"Richard Schoch presents the complexity of Sondheim's work with clarity and accessibility. Sondheim continues to change my life, and this book will help many readers, listeners, and theatergoers to understand a bit better how he does it."
--Ben Brantley, chief theatre critic, New York Times, 1996-2017

"Fascinating and wise. . . . 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."
--Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater

"When it comes to musing on Sondheim, from the intellectual to the introspective, Schoch seems to know it all."
--The Washington Post

"Incisive. . . heartwarming. . . . What a joy the author's take on it all is. I was happy simply to be in Schoch's company, wallowing in Sondheim trivia and enjoying a series of smart, close reads."
--New York Times Book Review

"Even if you were not a Sondheim fan on page 1, there's a good chance by mid-book you'll be ordering tickets for the next Sondheim show in town."
--Minnesota Star Tribune

Publisher: Atria Books

Pub date: 2024-11-19

Length: 304 pages