Celebrated author and game-designer BARRY JOSEPH
begins his TOUR celebrating the publishing of his next book
Matching Minds with Sondheim: 
The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend

Mr. Joseph will be at
The Drama Book Shop
266 West 39th Street, New York City
on
Thursday, October 9 · 7:30 – 8:30pm EDT
Get an autographed copy there or order here on AMAZON

By near-universal consensus, Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his generation—celebrated, among other things, for the wit, sophistication, and intricacy of shows from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George.

A less well-known avenue for his brilliant creativity was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and games: from treasure hunts and crossword puzzles to parlor and board games.

Matching Minds with Sondheim is a journey into this rich but largely unmapped aspect of the composer’s creative life, illuminating how Sondheim’s playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for his friends and colleagues. For the first time, this book offers an enthralling tour of what Sondheim described as his “puzzler’s mind,” helping readers to better understand the man, his work, and—if they accept the challenge—themselves.

Gaming expert and theatre fan Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim’s activities, collecting his extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, scores of original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, deep dives into Sondheim-related archives from around the country, and analysis from both puzzle designers and theater professionals from around the world.

Matching Minds will do more than describe Sondheim’s work: It will allow readers to match minds with the maestro by attempting to solve Sondheimian puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes.

Upcoming Events
September 14: Brooklyn Book Festival It’s Puzzling: The Power of Crosswords and Games, Moderated by Natan Last (The Past, Present and Future of the Crossword Puzzle). (virtual – link TBD)
September 24: The Locavore Variety Store Book signing and TBD activities 5-7pm (434 6th Ave, NY, NY) (free)
September 25: Northwestern Alumni Association How to Play the Sondheim Way: Designing games and puzzles like Stephen Sondheim (virtual – link TBD)
September 25: New York University, hosted by the NYU Game Center in collaboration with the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program How to Play the Sondheim Way: A Parlor Game Workshop 7:00-8:30 (370J, Brooklyn, NY)
October 9: The Drama Bookshop: Do We Really Need Another Book on Sondheim? (live podcast) (Tickets here) (NYC)
October 24: NYU Steinhardt Alum Association (NYC) SOLD OUT
November 7-8 Wonderful World of Words Sondheim… and The Game of Murder (and TBD more) Mohonk Mountain House (New Paltz, NY)
November 9: Katz Jewish Community Center (Cherry Hill, NJ)
November 21: Fredonia University (NY)
December 11: Jewish Federation of the Berkshires (virtual)
December 13: Museum of the City of New York New York by the Book: Matching Minds with Sondheim (NYC) (free) (Tickets here)
2026.January 8: The Jewish Federation of Dutchess County & Poughkeepsie Public Library (Poughkeepsie, NY)
2026.February 5: JCC Mid-Westchester (Scarsdale, NY)
2026.June 11: Falmouth JCC & Worcester JCC (remote)

Barry Joseph is the Principal of Barry Joseph Consulting, a leader in innovating solutions for learning in a digital age. He is also the co-founder of the Games for Change Festival, the more than 20-year-old, multi-day event in New York City. As an early developer of after-school game design youth programming and now adjunct at New York University, Barry has been a national leader in both games-based learning and games for social impact, producing dozens of curriculums and games. Work and clients include the American Museum of Natural History, Girl Scouts of the USA, the RAND Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the International Criminal Court. Barry has been featured by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CBS Morning News, All Things Considered, and many more. Learn more at his website (MatchingMindsWithSondheim.com).

“Anyone who loves the musicals of Stephen Sondheim is likely to know that the legendary composer and lyricist was also passionate about games and puzzles. Barry Joseph, himself a game designer, has taken that cue and assembled a whole new perspective shedding light on a facet of Sondheim’s creativity that’s not been explored previously in depth. His exploration is rooted in interviews with more than 60 puzzle and game designers, as well as Sondheim’s friends, colleagues and — especially — playmates. Matching Minds with Sondheim is literally a mind-boggling study, providing more than 400 pages of background and insight that sheds new light on an incredible creative mind. Joseph offers solid evidence about how Sondheim’s pursuit of puzzle solutions and elaborate game playing were part and parcel with his mastery of words. If you desire a deeper understanding of this modern genius, this is a book for you.”
Rick Pender, author of The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia

“Matching Minds accomplishes a truly remarkable feat: reintroducing us to someone we thought we already knew. It’s not just a biography of Stephen Sondheim but a sourcebook and design guide to his creative work. An absolute must-read for any puzzle or game designer.”
– Eric Zimmerman, Arts Professor, New York University Game Center, and co-author of Rules of Play

“Reliving my extraordinary night participating in Stephen’s 1968 Halloween Treasure Hunt was like stepping back into the genius’s boundless imagination. This book is a treasure hunt in its own right, piecing together the magic and mystery that Sondheim conjured in every puzzle, every clue, and every note he composed. A fascinating read that guides you through the wonderland of one of the world’s most brilliant minds.”
Grover Dale, original cast member of West Side Story, Tony- and Emmy-nominated Dancer, Choreographer, and Director

“Matching Minds reveals how before Stephen Sondheim was a musical theater god he was the puzzle editor at New York magazine, making “order out of chaos” on a weekly basis. Discover how puzzles weren’t just a hobby for Steve, but a window into his brilliant mind, and his ever-illuminating music.”
– Melissa Errico, Tony-nominated Broadway actress/writer; recording artist of two Sondheim albums; star of “Sunday in The Park With George” at The Kennedy Center & more.

“If you’re bedazzled by Stephen Sondheim and want to get inside his mind, you need this book. If you’re equally entranced by puzzles and games, you must read this book immediately and repeatedly. Matching Minds is a real accomplishment, and no one but Barry Joseph could have written it. His intelligence and commitment to this complex subject can be found on every page.”
Daniel Okrent, author of the forthcoming Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy

“Matching Minds shows how Sondheim was exactly the type of player that makes the escape room community so vibrant.”
Lisa and David Spira, co-creators of RoomEscapeArtist.com

“As someone who spends most of her time trying to discover what makes Sondheim great, the book gave me another lens through which to understand his genius. Now, whenever I approach a show, a song, or a set of lyrics, I ask myself: Is it a puzzle? Is it a game? Is it playful? And that’s been eye-opening and invigorating.”
Gail Leondar-Wright, independent Sondheim scholar (TalkingSondheim.com)

“A treasure trove of insight into Sondheim’s deep engagement with games, the people with whom he played them, and what they reveal about his ‘puzzler’s mind.’” The Sondheim Hub