#09 - Sondheim and the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt

Barry Joseph and guests walk through Sondheim’s final treasure hunt. Guests Kellian Adams Pletcher, a game designer at FableVision Studios, and Robert Lee, a faculty member and current chair of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, join Barry to analyze and discuss Sondheim's love for treasure hunts. Together they explore his design of the 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt and the engaging experiences created for friends. The episode features anecdotes from participants in the 2013 City Center treasure hunt (Marty Granoff, Erin Ortman, Alexander Gemignani) highlighting Sondheim's genius in creating these immersive and fun-filled games. It also features analysis from those Joseph brought together to solve them for his book ( Andrew Parr, Jess Butler, Michael Mitnick, Mark Halpin, Richard Malty Jr.) in a half-day “re-staging”. Listen to learn more about Sondheim's playful side, his intellectual generosity, and the intricate puzzles that made his hunts legendary.

Make sure to get the book everywhere books are found, ⁠⁠or click here⁠⁠.

00:00 Introduction to Matching Minds with Sondheim

01:15 Meet the Guests: Kellian Adams Pletcher and Robert Lee

02:28 Robert Lee's Journey with Sondheim and Games

06:19 Kellian's Early Love for Treasure Hunts

07:56 Stephen Sondheim's 2013 City Center Treasure Hunt

11:38 The Mechanics of the Treasure Hunt

20:51 Reflections on Sondheim's Puzzle Design

34:28 Exploring Ballroom Game Formats

34:55 Debating Sondheim's Puzzle Intentions

36:50 Diving into the Clues

38:16 The Thrill of Solving Puzzles

39:49 Sondheim's Puzzle Design Philosophy

41:32 The Grid and Grill Puzzle Challenge

43:17 Inclusivity in Puzzle Design

44:37 Solving Clue Number 12

48:57 Reflecting on Sondheim's Legacy

59:35 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Special Links:

• Colm Molloy

• Ann Morrison

• Mateo Chavez Lewis

Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode, specifically transcription and text editing by Jenny Westfall, the musical stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy, and sung by the one and only Ann Morrison, who created the role of Mary in Merrily We Roll Along. 

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