Sondheim in Our Time and His offers a wide-ranging historical investigation of the landmark works and extraordinary career of Stephen Sondheim, a career which has spanned much of the history of American musical theater. Each author uncovers those aspects of biography, collaborative process, and contemporary context that impacted the creation and reception of Sondheim's musicals. In addition, several authors explore in detail how Sondheim's shows have been dramatically revised and adapted over time. Multiple chapters invite the reader to rethink Sondheim's works from a distinctly contemporary critical perspective and to consider how these musicals are being reenvisioned today. Through chapters focused on individual musicals, and others that explore a specific topic as manifested throughout his entire career, plus an afterword by Kristen Anderson-Lopez; by digging deep into the archives and focusing intently on his scores; from interviews with performers, directors, and bookwriters, and close study of live and recorded productions--volume editor W. Anthony Sheppard brings together Sondheim's past with the present, thriving existence of his musicals.

Introduction: Our SondheimW. ANTHONY SHEPPARDPart I. Early Stages1. Williams College Before, During, and After SondheimSTEVE SWAYNE2. Fragments of Fairyland: Sondheim's Abandoned Adaptation of Mary PoppinsDOMINIC McHUGH3. "...nearly everything I wrote": Sondheim and the Actors StudioJEFFREY MAGEE4. Breakout from the Asylum of Conformity: Sondheim, Laurents, and the Dramaturgy of Anyone Can WhistleJAMES O'LEARYPart II. Staging Identities5. Sondheim's WhitenessTODD DECKER6. Politics, Representation, and Collaboration in Pacific Overtures (1976)ASHLEY M. PRIBYL7. Sexual Identity in Company, 1969-2019ANDREW BUCHMAN8. Students Performing Gender with Sondheim's Musicals in the Age of #MeTooSTACY WOLFPart III. Versions, Genres, and Collaborations9. Sweeney's Identity Crisis and the Dynamic Potential of Generic HybridityKIM H. KOWALKE10. "A sad and listless affair": The Unsung Film Adaptation of Sondheim's A Little Night MusicGEOFFREY BLOCKPart IV. Reconceived Structures and Techniques11. Time and Time Again: Temporal Structures in Sondheim's MusicalsJIM LOVENSHEIMER12. Sunday in the Park with Sondheim, Lapine, Seurat, and BabbittLARA E. HOUSEZ13. Sondheim and the 11 O'clock PrincipleELIZABETH A. WELLS14. Finishing the Line: Wit, Rhythm, and Rhyme in SondheimW. ANTHONY SHEPPARDAfterword: Moving on with SondheimKRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ