Putting It Together

How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George

By: James Lapine

Narrated by: Adam Grupper, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eva Kaminsky, Graham Winton, T. Ryder Smith, Len Cariou

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 Books

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!

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.

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.

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.

Great book

I think the author accomplished exactly what he wanted to and really took you inside the creation of an iconic work of art

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.

As Enjoyable as Seeing His Work on Stage.

An insightful look into a great musical creative genius. Tells personal stories of his work with Stephen Sondheim and other theatrical giants. We learn much about the creative process and the nuts and bolts of bringing musical theater from an idea to a fully realized staging. Lively, informative, and well read. 👌 You are there; the times and characters are brought to life. A musical history for every student of the musical theater and every audience member fan.

Great Listen (some weird voice acting)

I put off reading the physical copy of this so I could listen to the audio book at work. It's a great listen, but a few of the back-and-forth dialogue segments are a little awkward. There are voice actors for just about everyone quoted, and the acting is great and consistent. My only gripe is that sometimes when two or more people are having a dialog the acting seems a little choppy, like the two aren't in the same room, which just sounds a little weird when it's supposed to be representing an actual dialogue/interview. Other than that this is everything I had hoped for. If you're a sondheim nerd, or even just a moderate broadway nerd, this is a must read/listen.

Highest Marks!!!

I loved every note and lyric of the show. Now I will add the text of this book to that accolade! Thanks

Loved this

So interesting to learn more about the making of this brilliant musical. If you like Sondheim snd Lapine, listen.