{"product_id":"stephen-sondheim-art-isn-t-easy","title":"Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy","description":"\u003cp\u003eStephen Sondheim (1930–2021) was a towering figure in American musical theater. Celebrated for such iconic Broadway shows as \u003cem\u003eCompany\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSweeney Todd\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eInto the Woods\u003c\/em\u003e, his accolades include eight Tony Awards, multiple Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and a Pulitzer Prize. In this intimate biography, Daniel Okrent follows Sondheim through the tumult of his upbringing and his parents’ divorce, his life-changing relationship with Oscar Hammerstein II and subsequent immersion in musical theater, and his rise to fame as both a lyricist and composer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOkrent shines new light on Sondheim’s complicated emotional life, wavering self-confidence and alcoholism, drawing on the artist’s intimate correspondence with such notable figures as Hal Prince, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents; exclusive interviews with his close friends and collaborators, including James Lapine and John Weidman; and Sondheim’s own oral history, which remained closed until his death. He also reveals a previously unknown (and crucial) aspect of the infamous letter from Sondheim’s mother that made him believe she regretted his birth. As Okrent explores the ways Sondheim’s music and lyrics express the inner man, he shows us a life that was defined by two parallel arcs: the movement from alienation to connection, and from ambivalence to resolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAuthor: Daniel Okrent\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\nPages: 320\u003cbr\u003e\nSize: 6 x 1.3 x 8.25 inches\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ingram Dist - ACCT #20H4796","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48588007178472,"sku":"9780300270211","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0374\/6125\/files\/d9436b59Store1080x1080_Book_StephenSondheimArtIsntEasy.jpg?v=1779814310","url":"https:\/\/guthriestore.com\/products\/stephen-sondheim-art-isn-t-easy","provider":"Guthrie Theater Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}