Rick Pender | Sondheim Encyclopedia released

Rick Pender | Sondheim Encyclopedia released

Rick Pender, long-term member of ATCA and past chair of the Executive Committee, has put his extensive knowledge of and love for the subject of Stephen Sondheim into a book now available for pre-order from Rowman & LIttlefield — The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia. The “wonderfully detailed and comprehensive reference devoted to musical theater’s most prolific and admired composer and lyricist.” as the publisher describes the work, will be available in mid-April, 2021.

Entries cover Sondheim’s numerous collaborators—from composers and directors to designers and orchestras—key songs—such as his Academy Award winner “Sooner or Later” (Dick Tracy)—and major works—including Assassins, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. The encyclopedia also contains information about Sondheim’s mentoring by Oscar Hammerstein II and his early collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, and profiles the actors who originated roles and sang Sondheim’s songs for the first time, including Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Mandy Patinkin, and Bernadette Peters.

Among the many features of this 652-page tome are: a detailed biographical entry for Sondheim, a chronology of his career, a listing of his many awards, and discussions of his opinions on movies, opera, and more.

ATCA member Peter Filichia has written an extensive piece on the book. And for those who enjoy author interviews, a free Eventbrite session is planned to celebrate the book’s release on April 16 at 7pm Eastern. Register for the author conversation here.