#28-Sondheim and Puzzle Boxes, with David Staller

Our latest episode focuses on Stephen Sondheim’s fascination with puzzle boxes, featuring guest David Staller, founding artistic director of the Gingold Theatrical Group. Staller describes his Shaw-inspired connection to Sondheim through Hermione Gingold, their friendship and correspondence, and Sondheim’s attraction to puzzles as finite, controllable structures that offered relief from the chaos of human relationships and creative pressures. The episode includes rare audio from Sondheim’s Games Magazine interview about collecting and admiring puzzle boxes, plus excerpts from Barry’s interview with puzzle-box designer Kagen Sound (on learning Sondheim was a client and seeing his boxes in the film Six by Sondheim). Staller recounts gifting Sondheim puzzle boxes (including Japanese artisan-made boxes), treasure-hunt parties and movie-themed murder mysteries, a final unopened birthday box returned after Sondheim’s death, and finding a hidden note during the 2024 Doyle auction. He also describes Sondheim’s love for, and association with the boy-star of, the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.  00:00 Everything Is A Puzzle 01:44 Meet Guest David Staller 02:55 Shaw Connection To Sondheim 05:11 Why Games Felt Safe 07:54 Discovering Puzzle Boxes 08:46 What Puzzle Boxes Are 10:37 Sondheim On Puzzle Boxes 12:47 Voice Memories And Boxes 16:59 Japanese Artisan And Last Box 19:40 Opening The Box Onstage 21:53 What Was Inside The Box 23:25 Treasure Hunts And Movie Trivia 26:04 Thin Man Roleplaying Games 26:44 Movie Roleplay Mystery 28:34 Home Treasure Hunt 30:30 Sondheim Grammar Patrol 32:16 Puzzle Boxes Meaning 33:49 Kagen Sound Spotlight 36:04 Boxes On The Piano 38:04 Auction Hidden Note 39:42 Objects And Legacy 42:22 Calvin And Hobbes 47:31 Life As A Puzzle Special Links: David Staller Gingold Theatrical Group Kagen Sound Andrew Parr Colm Molloy Ann Morrison Mateo Chavez Lewis Thanks to everyone who contributed behind the scenes to this episode: the Musical Stingers composed by Mateo Chavez Lewis, our line producer Dennis Caouki, and the theme song to our podcast with lyrics and music by Colm Molloy and sung by the one only Anne Morrison, currently on the road starring in Kimberly Akimbo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices