PIECE BY PIECE

Long before becoming a Broadway powerhouse, Stephen Sondheim puzzles over music, stories, and the magic that binds them.

After young Sondheim sees his first Broadway musical, his imagination soars. His parents’ separation leads him to a new home near his friend Jamie, whose father is the renowned lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. Sondheim writes his first musical at 15, but Hammerstein sends him back to the drawing board, teaching him the magic of editing. His breakout role penning the lyrics for West Side Story paves the way for even grander opportunities. Innerst’s moody acrylic, colored pencil, and ink illustrations create dynamic, expressionistic scenes that dance across the page like musical notes. Expository spreads show Sondheim making music or working in the theater, but it’s the conceptual illustrations that will intrigue creative readers: Sondheim riding a roller coaster with relevant terms (“melodious score,” “lyrics that soar!”) placed along the rails or surrounded by oversize puzzle pieces posing questions such as “What is the sound for loneliness?” and “Should the first and last notes rise?” Indeed, puzzles prove an inspired central metaphor for the creative process as Sondheim perfects his work. Frankel’s lilting rhyme gives the verse a pleasing cadence for reading aloud without following a consistent rhyming scheme, mirroring the ebb and flow of Sondheim’s own process.

A brilliant glimpse at a musical genius, imbued with a profound truth: Creativity is truly about the journey.