Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
10th out of 18 books
—
5 voters
Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics, 1981-2011, With Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes, and Miscellany (The Hat Box #2)
After his acclaimed and best-selling Finishing the Hat (named one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2010), Stephen Sondheim returns with the second volume of his collected lyrics, Look, I Made a Hat, giving us another remarkable glimpse into the brilliant mind of this living legend, and his life’s work.
Picking up where he left off in Finishing the Hat, Sondheim giv...more
Picking up where he left off in Finishing the Hat, Sondheim giv...more
Hardcover, 453 pages
Published
November 22nd 2011
by Knopf
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
651)
Look, I Made a Hat is only slightly less successful for me than Sondheim’s first book of collected lyrics. I still say Sondheim is the best lyricist the stage has ever seen, and for any stage aficionado, both books are required reading. However, sections of this book are spent on songs that haven’t been recorded, shows that have no music to reference. In that sense, I often had a hard time understanding or loving Sondheim’s work here, struggling to put it in context.
About a third of the book – f...more
About a third of the book – f...more
Dec 30, 2011
Bruce
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Sondheim, poetry, or musical theater
Look, I Made a Hat completes the publication of Sondheim’s collected lyrics, picking up where Finishing the Hat left off and then backfilling those gaps in the record Sondheim deemed noteworthy: incidental songs from movies, unproduced shows (including selected examples of juvenilia), and ditties he wrote to fete friends at birthday parties, pageants, and salons. As with the earlier book, Sondheim not only annotates and contextualizes his lyrics, but throws in assorted essays on various subjects...more
This review is for both Volume 1 ("Finishing the Hat" and Volume 2 ("Look I Made a Hat") of Stephen Sondheim's reflections and commentary on his lyrics.
These are necessary tools for any serious theatre-goer who wants to fully understand Sondheim's body of work. It is not overstating to say that Sondheim is to American musical theatre what Tennesse Williams is to American Drama: ocassionally dark and always provocative and smart. Obviously the flavors and tones are different and Sondheim's intell...more
These are necessary tools for any serious theatre-goer who wants to fully understand Sondheim's body of work. It is not overstating to say that Sondheim is to American musical theatre what Tennesse Williams is to American Drama: ocassionally dark and always provocative and smart. Obviously the flavors and tones are different and Sondheim's intell...more
Worth it just for Into the Woods & Assassins. I didn't read the whole thing, I haven't seen Passions and skipped most of the movie section except for Dick Tracy. In some ways this volume feels lighter, but since Sunday, Woods, and Assassins are my favorite Sondheim shows I still liked it more.
Interestingly I felt like he was harder on his work in Volume 1. Maybe it's just that he got better as he got older? Or is it that the shows aren't as old?
I've always had extremely mixed feelings abou...more
Interestingly I felt like he was harder on his work in Volume 1. Maybe it's just that he got better as he got older? Or is it that the shows aren't as old?
I've always had extremely mixed feelings abou...more
1 like · like · see review
view 2 comments
Apr 14, 2012
Rachel
is currently reading it
A lyrics writer can learn all she needs to know just by reading the footnotes in this magnificent memoir/teaching manual by the master lyricist of our tim. Stephen Sondheim is generous in sharing not only the way he arrived at his successes, but mistakes along the way, illuminating the difficult process of shaping words to music in a song in such a way as to make it memorable and singable (if you're Mandy Patinkin or Bernadette Peters anyway). Bravo! And great gratitude to Mr. Sondheim for his t...more
After finishing the first book Finishing the Hat, I was beyond excited to get my hands on this second book, which features a string of awesomeness, if not popular successes: Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Wood, and Assassins (my personal favorite Sondheim). And those sections were great. I loved finding out their origins and following their development. I was already pretty familiar with most of the lyrics but reading them over brought new pleasures. It was great to linger over and sav...more
Not as fascinating as the first book, but still interesting. Like the first time, I didn't actually read the lyrics, but just read the intro, the stand alone essays and some of the comments/anecdotes scattered throughout the book. What incredible experiences he's had. The book well reflects the collaborative nature of creating a show for the musical theater. I also liked his three listed principles and reflecting on how well they apply to other artistic disciplines.
The first volume followed Sondheim’s career from the beginning to 1980, and so it benefitted from the logical progression and growth of his experiences. This second one was a little less compelling for me because, although it contains two of my favorites (Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park), there is also a long section on the various iterations of Road Show plus bits and pieces from musicals that were never made, and individual songs for movies. I found myself skimming these parts; although...more
A worthy successor to the first volume which feature three of my all-time favorites (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Assassins). I thought the case study of the 4 different versions of WiseGuys/Bounce/RoadShow was a really interesting case study in artistic problem solving. Sondheim is brilliant and it's fantastic that he left the analysis, advice, etc behind to future generations.
I love Stephen Sondheim! I have not read this book in its entirety, but what I have read is pure Sondheim genius. I am terrible upset that Into the Woods was dropped as a movie-the actors he mentions-wooooo-it could have been amazing. When I have time I think I shall read his notes while listening to the actual soundtracks as well.
I didn't read this as thoroughly as the first volume, because I'm only familiar with two shows in it ("Into the Woods" and "Candide.") But everything I did read was interesting, though I got a bit more of a grumpy old man vibe rrom this one. Still, a must-read for anyone interested in lyric writing or musical theatre.
If you are any kind of musical theatre geek, this is a must-read. I love some Sondheim shows more than others, but having his insight and some of his anecdotes make going back through his lyrics such a great experience. Definitely start with his first volume "Finishing the Hat," but continue to this one, it's worth it.
Not only does he address some of his more famous shows, but shows that were never produced, show that went through multiple incarnations, as well as television and movie work.
Not only does he address some of his more famous shows, but shows that were never produced, show that went through multiple incarnations, as well as television and movie work.
Behind the scenes with Sondheim. Interesting, but I wasn't as familiar with the music for just the lyrics alone to recall it for me. I suspect I'm not really the target audience for this book, and I grabbed it off the "new" shelf at the library on a whim. Most fascinating was the evolution of the piece that eventually became Road Show, and the various snippets of commentary.
I think I enjoyed the first volume more because He taught so much about writing lyrics, but the second volume include Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the woods; two of my favorite musicals of his. Excellent read.
I enjoyed this book very much. I am fascinated by the inner workings of broadway and lyricists and all of that stuff. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because one of his particular film projects that he covers was extremely hard to follow (for me). The rest of it I absolutely loved! If this subject matter interests you, start with Finishing the Hat and then read this one!!!
The tone of this second volume seemed to me a bit more reflective, and even regretful in places. But there was still plenty of Mr. Sondheim's wit and some fascinating recollections of the talented people he knew and worked with. The section about the work that became Road Show had an interesting feature for me: it started out interesting in the first incarnation, dragged through the permutations of Bounce, and then became really absorbing by the time the finished product came along. At the end o...more
Not quite as much fun as the first volume--less lengthy (and engrossing) commentary from Sondheim, and more collected ephemera. Worth it for the best lyrics, though, including Into the Woods, Assassins, and Evening Primrose--three of my favorites.
An essential work for everyone in musical theater. Surely SUNDAY IN THE PARK is the musical for all creative artists.
Nov 26, 2012
Marilyn
added it
I wish that there was going to be a third volume. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and the first book.
He's God. I mean the man's a God. He wrote the book to Sweeney Todd with a nod to De Sade.
I found the first one much more fun but I like having the set as well.
This is the space where I obnoxiously gloat that I got my copy early :3
May 19, 2011
Jinksb
marked it as to-read
I wish Random House would put this and "Finishing the hat" out as e-books!
Great reference book, exactly what I was looking for!
Nov 30, 2011
Amanda Mecke
marked it as to-read
I know a lot of friends who would like this holiday gift!
Added 5/1/11
Expected date of publication is Oct. 2011.
Expected date of publication is Oct. 2011.
It's Sondheim on Sondheim, part 2.
What could be more fascinating than that?
What could be more fascinating than that?
A must-have for Sondheim fans.
Not quite as interesting as the first book, perhaps because there were not as many familiar musicals in it. It is still a great read for musical lovers, writers, and artists of any kind.
Volume 2 doesn't succeed as well for me as volume 1. I think part of this is because there is more time spent on items outside of the theatre or on a show that still has not seen the light of day.
That said, Sondheim is one of the greatest living writers in the US. What he can do with a lyric to explain feeling, character, tone, and setting is remarkable. This books, together with volume 1 is a must-have for anyone who likes to play with words.
That said, Sondheim is one of the greatest living writers in the US. What he can do with a lyric to explain feeling, character, tone, and setting is remarkable. This books, together with volume 1 is a must-have for anyone who likes to play with words.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's better than getting a book you really wanted for Christmas? | 2 | 2 | Feb 10, 2012 01:38am |
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American musical and film composer and lyricist, winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven, more than any other composer), multiple Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. He has been described by Frank Rich in the The New York Times as "the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater." His most famous scores include (as composer/...more
More about Stephen Sondheim...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
