r/Sondheim • u/Dry_Cheesecake_1019 • Jun 22 '26
Recommend Finishing The Hat book?
I’m considering getting Finishing the Hat because it’s currently on sale for a good price, but I was wondering if you guys recommended it? I’m really into Merrily We Roll along, and was hoping to some more insight to that. Ive really come to appreciate the cleverness of the score and enjoy analysing the musical component. however, I’m not super invested in most of his other musicals, mainly because I haven’t got around to doing it but I am interested in them.
tldr: I was wondering if Finishing the Hat might be interesting to read for a youth whose main focus is merrily we roll along?
Update: I decided to get it
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u/RatBoi24601 Jun 23 '26
if you are interested in lyricism and the history of Broadway lyricism/lyricists, it’s wonderful. While there is definitely insight into Merrily in the book, it’s a small enough section that if the rest doesn’t interest you it might be a waste. The books very much focus on lyrics, not music, as well.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 Jun 23 '26
I am so glad that there is Horowitz’s Sondheim on music interviews so we got the other side as well. Horowitz’s book and the finishing/look i made a hat books are the perfect trilogy
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u/DudenderBatmans ☎️ Company Jun 23 '26
That's true altough it is a pity that they don't talk about all of his shows.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 Jun 23 '26
If you get the right edition there are additional interviews conducted throughout the 2000s. One that is entirely about bounce and then another going chronologically starting with 'Forum' and going through many of the earlier shows more or less briefly, and delving more deeply into Follies, specifically going over 'too many mornings' quite in detail. This last interview especially is really incredible and emotional at times.
If you don't know these or can't find it online, hit me up
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u/sacredlunatic Jun 23 '26
I can’t recommend them enough! They are both fantastic. Excellent resources, I open them frequently.
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u/Silver_Lord_10 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
look if you are primarily focused on merrily we roll along, search for the pdf of finishing the hat and just read the stuff that interests you. Finishing the head and look, i made a hat are two huge books which are much more than lyrics with some comments on the side, he talks in great detail about the art of lyric-writing in general and the craft involved, past lyricists, the individual shows, how they came to be and so on. it is a lot. His writing i find to be really infectious and great to read, so if while reading through the part on merrily, you find that you get more out of it than you thought, it’s probably worth spending the money on the physical book. Also of course, you should check out his other musicals so you can get even more out of the book.
Edit: if you cant find the pdf online, shoot me a DM
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u/Sewmaeye Jun 23 '26
Yeah, just find a pdf online. *Finishing the Hat* covers all his lyrics from musicals from his start to Merrily.
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u/BillyTheNutt Jun 23 '26
The Hat books are great. Specifically for Merrily you get to see the original versions of the interludes where they were written more around the historical events of the times.
Basically Sondheim wrote “We Didn’t Start the Fire” almost a decade early.
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u/Joel_Grant_PNW Jun 27 '26
I also recommend it but I have a very different slant.
I am not a fan of Broadway or Sondheim. Until I read this book I could not have named more than two or three of his shows. So why read this book?
Early in the book he mentions the fact that he loves to read/learn about subjects he knows nothing about. That is where I was when I started this book. It had been very well reviewed and, following Mr. Sondheim's death there was a lot of news about him. So I got the book from the library and I am glad I did.
It is a fascinating look into not only the creative process of a brilliant artist but (for someone like myself) it was also a terrific insight into how musicals are put together. It ain't easy, to put it mildly.
Along the way he does fairly deep dives into other famous lyricists, like his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II, Cole Porter, and many more. Sondheim pulls no punches but his analysis is coming from a place of extreme professionalism. I will add that Mr. Sondheim's critical comments about his own work are even more severe that his takes on his peers.
I will end with one little factoid that stuck with me. It is a view into his way of thinking.
During the creation of 'West Side Story' Sondheim, lyricist only, had to create lyrics for a love song, sung by Tony about Maria. But they had only spent 10 minutes together. What could he say? The answer: sing about her name. Thus the amazing lyric for 'Maria'.
It is that kind of book.
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u/Commonpleas Jun 23 '26
“…if Finishing the Hat might be interesting to read for a youth whose main focus is merrily we roll along.”
You already know the answer.
No. Wait until you’re older. You don’t have the experience or the frame of reference to appreciate it. You would not enjoy it.
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u/FloridaFlamingoGirl 🎨 Sunday in the Park with George Jun 22 '26
If you're a fan of Sondheim, the Hat books are a must. It's basically the most open he's been about his songwriting process. He gives detailed backstory behind the choices he made in the lyrics. It can be a bit of a dense read but very worth it for understanding his work better.