Putting It Together
How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George
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By:
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James Lapine
About this listen
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the iconic musical Sunday in the Park with George
Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George. In 1982, James Lapine, at the beginning of his career as a playwright and director, met Stephen Sondheim, nineteen years his senior and already a legendary Broadway composer and lyricist. Shortly thereafter, the two decided to write a musical inspired by Georges Seurat’s nineteenth-century painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical. Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey, one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
©2021 James Lapine (P)2021 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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At 95, the legendary Mel Brooks continues to set the standard for comedy across television, film, and the stage. Now, for the first time, this EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner shares his story in his own words.
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Wonderful and nostalgic
- By GAT on 12-07-21
By: Mel Brooks
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Pieces of My Heart
- A Life
- By: Robert J. Wagner
- Narrated by: Robert J. Wagner
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Abridged
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Robert J. Wagner has starred in more than 100 films and television series over the past 50 years. In this deeply personal story, he recalls his rise to stardom. He talks candidly about his relationships with some of the greatest stars of the 20th century, including Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and, for the first time, he shares the details of his two marriages to Natalie Wood. Wagner also offers a fascinating look at Hollywood during the last half of the 20th century.
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Wagner's life, told in a gracious manner
- By Chris on 12-18-08
By: Robert J. Wagner
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Let’s Go Crazy
- Prince and the Making of Purple Rain
- By: Alan Light
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Purple Rain is a song, an album, and a film - each one a commercial success and cultural milestone. How did this semiautobiographical musical masterpiece that blurred R&B, pop, dance, and rock sounds come to alter the recording landscape and become an enduring touchstone for successive generations of fans?
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A Must-Read For Any PRINCE Fan
- By Bryan K. Chavez on 05-06-16
By: Alan Light
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The Improv
- An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up
- By: Budd Friedman, Tripp Whetsell, Jay Leno - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1963, 30-year-old Friedman - who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to his hometown of New York to become a theatrical producer - opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. His goal? Simply to make a living, and if all went according to plan, to also make enough professional contacts to be able to mount his first Broadway show within a year's time. Later shortened to the Improv, its first West 44th Street location was in a seedy section of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen.
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Shockingly tone deaf
- By JenniferW on 06-28-23
By: Budd Friedman, and others
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The View from the Bridge
- Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood
- By: Nicholas Meyer
- Narrated by: Nicholas Meyer
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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When Nicholas Meyer was asked to direct the troubled second Star Trek film, he was something less than a true believer. A best-selling author and successful director, he had never been a fan of the TV series. But as he began to ponder the appeal of Kirk, Spock, et al., he realized that their story was a classical nautical adventure yarn transplanted into space and - armed with that insight - set out on his mission: to revitalize Trek.
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Mostly good
- By David W Braddock on 06-07-21
By: Nicholas Meyer
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Something Wonderful
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
- By: Todd S. Purdum
- Narrated by: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play.
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Fabulous book about Rodgers & Hammerstein!!!
- By BigWally on 06-27-18
By: Todd S. Purdum
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Dying of Politeness
- A Memoir
- By: Geena Davis
- Narrated by: Geena Davis
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.
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so perfect
- By Kimber on 10-16-22
By: Geena Davis
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Letters to a Young Artist
- By: Anna Deavere Smith
- Narrated by: Anna Deavere Smith
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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From "the most exciting individual in American theater" ( Newsweek), here is Anna Deavere Smith's brass-tacks advice to aspiring artists of all stripes. In the manner of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, Deavere Smith mentors her young artist over a period of five years, sharing her hard-won wisdom about the challenges and rewards of the artistic life.
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Great advice for artists of any age.
- By S. Barker on 10-30-17
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Reveal: Robbie Williams
- By: Chris Heath
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate, funny and frank account of the moments behind the music, of the truth behind the headlines and of the fascinatingly complicated man behind the imperious entertainer, Reveal is Robbie Williams as you've never seen him before. Best-selling author Chris Heath has been working closely with Robbie for many years to create a personal and raw account of fame, fortune, family and music - a vivid and detailed story of the real highs and lows as Robbie has found his way forward, that is unprecedented in its intimacy and honesty.
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Absolutely Briliant!
- By L. Elder on 10-01-17
By: Chris Heath
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This Is Your Captain Speaking
- My Fantastic Voyage through Hollywood, Faith, and Life
- By: Gavin MacLeod
- Narrated by: Gavin MacLeod
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The remarkable life, career, and faith journey of the star of The Love Boat and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. For 16 years, millions of Americans welcomed Gavin MacLeod into their living rooms every Saturday night. This veteran of stage and screen transformed himself from a seasoned character actor into the leading, lovable father-figure of The Love Boat at the height of TV's boom years. For more than 30 years, Gavin MacLeod has served as the global ambassador for Princess Cruises.
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Get to know Gavin as a person, not the actor
- By Don Lance on 11-16-13
By: Gavin MacLeod
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Talking to Canadians
- A Memoir
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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What is Rick Mercer going to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons - and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared. And then COVID-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece.
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Mercer Killed and He Will Kill Again
- By Quinn M on 11-28-22
By: Rick Mercer
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Stephen Sondheim was a multi-award-winning American composer whose works have garnered more than 60 Tony Awards, as well as an Oscar for Best Song and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Here he discusses his life and achievements in a series of interviews from the BBC radio and TV archive.
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Insight into one of the greats!
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Great review lacked music
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“What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened.
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What a fun book!
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It’s absolutely everything
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Razzle Dazzle
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Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money, and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way - and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
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Too long and boring in spite of a vibrant subject
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Great review lacked music
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Shy
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- By: Mary Rodgers, Jesse Green
- Narrated by: Christine Baranski, Jesse Green
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
“What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman. Shy is the story of how it all happened.
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What a fun book!
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What listeners say about Putting It Together
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Scott A Hunt
- 03-17-22
Really hard not to give this all 5 stars
While the performances are great, this is one time I wish it had only been one narrator. The content is fascinating and it’s all performed well; but knowing what the actual people interviewed sound like in real life, I found it distracting to have someone else read their interviews because it took me out of the story.
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- Dara Starr Tucker
- 10-07-22
Loved the Story, Not the Performances
If you’re a fan of Sondheim, Lapine or just theater in general, you’ll love this behind the scenes look into the making of a difficult show. The voice actors, however, take you out of the story. There’s no attempt to match even well-known people to what their natural speaking voices sound like. Many of them sound like they’re voicing a Lexapro ad — forced, & almost like they’re making an effort to imitate human speech. Very distracting. But otherwise, it’s well written, honest & it drew me in.
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- John W
- 01-29-23
An absolute must-listen!
What a gift this is to the musical theatre world! Honest, meticulous, fascinating, funny, poignant - James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim have opened our eyes to the amazing journey of creating this masterpiece work. I enjoyed every minute and every detail!
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- Pennypie
- 08-09-21
Wonderful …
… and exhilarating. Fantastic to hear the amazing Len Cariou as Sondheim. Wish that the folks still with us said their own words, though. A bit jarring to hear others say the words of such recognizable voices as Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Christine Baranski, etc. Still fabulous, though.
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1 person found this helpful
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- armand
- 01-04-23
really great history of "putting it together"
really worth the listen.
my only quibble is with the editing. sometimes there's too much of a pause between performers lines. but I gave the performance 5 stars because the performers themselves were fantastic. do listen.
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- Tallowyck
- 03-04-22
Marvelous
It’s a marvelous book about the development, history, and people who created an amazing musical - one of my favorites.
It wasn’t structured how I imagined it would be, it’s better. Instead of a recitation of facts, it plays out through a series of short conversations between the author and the people involved in the musical’s creation. Interspersed with Lapine’s personal recollections, insights, and emotions.
In addition to specifics about the individuals and the musical, it delves into the complex process of staging a production, and artistic theory and practice.
The use of several narrators serves the material very well.
Recommended to those who’d like a peek behind the curtain, more so if you admire the works of Sondheim, and especially to fans of this wonderful musical.
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- Stevan Miller
- 10-12-21
What a great backstory!
I enjoyed this book so much because I love Sunday in the Park with George. I wish we could have the backstory on all of Sondheim’s musicals. This book is a treat!
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- Tony
- 02-01-23
Certainly a great read
Most certainly a magnificent read. The content was very enlightening and entertaining. Highly recommend if you are a fan of the theater.
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- Kevin Farrell
- 08-10-21
Excellent book and narrator…
Not a musical theater “person” but a long time lover of the theater in general. This is by far the finest book on the creation of a work of art I’ve encountered. The story of the musical mirrors the relationship of the author and Stephen Sondheim. It’s a very enjoyable listen…Lupine can be self-indulgent but he also doesn’t shy away from relating conflict (which he sometimes is the cause of), portrayed as a normal part of artistic collaboration. This isn’t just great gossip (which it sometimes is) but a real exploration of creativity. Great book.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-19-22
If your passion is theater…
If your passion is theater, this book will be your new passion for the next few days.
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