Loving You: The Untold Sondheim podcast

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 1/2/26 at 5:07pm

Starts March 5 per this article.

"The series, which will begin in March, is a collaboration between the composer Peter E Jones, Sondheim’s archivist and former partner, and the British author, performer and director Martin Milnes."

 

[darquegk]

Posted: 1/2/26 at 6:43pm

Will I listen? Yes. Do I expect it to be an always comfortable listening experience? No.

[halfhourcheckwithmerman]

Posted: 1/2/26 at 9:59pm

Oh wow. This will be fascinating... am I right that we know very little about Jones' and Sondheim's breakup? It seems they stayed amicable based on the credits given to him in FINISHING THE HAT, post-breakup.

The score of PASSION is dedicated to him. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 1/3/26 at 7:54am

I love a good serialized podcast (just finished Rachel Maddow's, "Burn Order").

Set a reminder in my calendar for March 5. Thanks for this!

[DurantPlummer41]

Posted: 3/5/26 at 8:04am

I'm about 3/4 through the episode and it has me completely enraptured. It is such a fascinating portait with such interesting tidbits: the Judy/ Liza Gypsy story, to even hearing that recording of a young Steve with Lena Horne. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/5/26 at 1:31pm

I'm loving it!

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/5/26 at 3:19pm

It seems Youtube hasn't put it up yet. I tried both the video platform and Music side.

Updated On: 3/5/26 at 03:19 PM

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 3/5/26 at 5:06pm

As the host of Sondheim Unplugged, I have a professional obligation to listen to this critically and with an eye toward understanding the greatest of musical theater masters.

As a rabid fan, I'm going to house this like I used to house cocaine. Cannot f-ing wait. 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 5:47pm

Help! How does one listen to this series? Explain it to me like the Boomer I am, thanks.

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 6:05pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Help! How does one listen to thisseries? Explain it to me like the Boomer I am, thanks."

Bring The Witch a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold and she'll tell you that it is on most major podcast services (i.e., Apple Podcasts, Spotify, et al).  Just search for the podcast name at the service site.

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 6:31pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Help! How does one listen to thisseries? Explain it to me like the Boomer I am, thanks."

    1.    Download a podcast app from whatever app store you normally use. I recommend “Overcast” (a free app) if you’re on an Apple platform. For Windows or Android, I’ve read good things about “Pocket Cast”, but I have no experience outside of my Apple products. Another option is the Amazon Music app (cross-platform and free. Bonus: ad-free listening if you have an Amazon account). You can also access the podcast via Spotify.
    2.    Once you’ve downloaded your app of choice to your desktop or phone, download the podcasts you’d like to listen to. You can do this from within any of the apps. If the interface isn’t user-friendly enough for you, you can do a search using: a) the name of your app (e.g. “Overcast&rdquo, and b) keywords “tutorial”, “download” and podcasts”

EASIEST WAY: Click Here. (Make sure you have cookies enabled.)

PS: This is absolutely, amazingly interesting. I've always loved Sonheim's work, but I've never read any of the biographies, etc... Because I am a novice in regards to knowledge of any aspects of Sondheim's personal history, EVERYTHING in this podcast is a revaluation for me (I didn't even know that "Sondheim’s close friend, Martin Milnes, and his first love, Peter E Jones" (copied that from a website description) even existed.

I HATE spoilers, but this is not a spoiler. It's just a description- more of a "teaser" than a spoiler. But I'll put in in a spoiler frame anyway:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

One of my favorite moments in the first episode is an impersonation of Ethel Merman. You might think that, as a podcast, you might just get a description of the action.

Nope. You will hear an audio (apparently taped during a gathering of friends) of an actual Ethel Merman impersonation. 

I never dreamed I would hear this - ever. It never even occurred to me that it could be possible. Why would anyone expect it? But, there it is. And it's a pretty good impersonation.

 

Updated On: 3/6/26 at 06:31 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 7:15pm

It feels like there were three Sondheims: the “god” with his carefully crafted persona, the relatively conventional for his era gay man, and the enthusiastic, eccentric nerd with a number of spectrum-adjacent traits and quirks. 
 

He reminds me much more than I would have expected of another cult hero, Edward Gorey, who also shared that holy trinity of curated personalities. The one big difference I can think of? Gorey was a technophobe while Sondheim was famously fond of video games. 

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 7:24pm

darquegk said: "It feels like there were three Sondheims: [etc.]

He reminds me much more than I would have expected of another cult hero,"

For me, I'd have stopped there.

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/6/26 at 7:44pm

You can play it from a web browser if you don't want to download an app. 

I'm listening to it on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4rsm2hI9k3ojtf9IXcQsCZ

 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 12:57am

darquegk said: "It feels like there were three Sondheims: the “god” with his carefully crafted persona, the relatively conventional for his era gay man, and the enthusiastic, eccentric nerd with a number of spectrum-adjacent traits and quirks.


He reminds me much more than I would have expected of another cult hero, Edward Gorey, who also shared that holy trinity of curated personalities. The one big difference I can think of? Gorey was a technophobe while Sondheim was famously fond of video games."

 

Gorey is a really interesting comparison I'm surprised to have never heard before. 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 8:50am

I greatly enjoyed the first episode.

I guess maybe I expected a bit more structure to it. It sort of jumps around to different points of his life. I also question how close he actually was to Martin Miles, being that Miles didn’t know him until the final few years of his life…but I’m not tooo concerned about these people “cashing in” on his life, given Peter’s involvement, the blessing of his widower, and the lack of money in a pod like this.

How I wish we could have got Julie Andrews in a proper Sondheim musical or three or four at some point. Her Desiree in the 80s or 90s, for example.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 2:57pm

How I wish we could have got Julie Andrews in a proper Sondheim musical or three or four at some point. Her Desiree in the 80s or 90s, for example."

Never say never.  I see no reason why she couldn’t do Madame Armfeldt, opposite my Cate of course.  

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 3:07pm

Thank you, JohnAdams and SteveSanders, for your helpful instructions.

Turns out there's a purple podcast app icon already loaded on my iPhone (one of the countless apps I've never explored). My friend pointed it out to me and presto-- the Loving You podcast was easy to search for. 

Agree with others that there are yummy treasures galore here, though it does seem to meander from topic to topic like a dish session at a cocktail party among Data Loungers. Does anyone know when Episode 2 appears?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 3:35pm

I wouldn’t mind the meandering if the host didn’t sound like he was reading off a script but trying to make it sound off the cuff. Honestly, just put a microphone to everyone’s mouth and let the stories unfold! They are so lovely to hear. I’m guessing the next episode arrives on Thursday.

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 3:43pm

On a somewhat related note, on the Matching Minds With Sondheim podcast this week, there was an interview with Dan Ockrent about his new biography of Sondheim coming out next week. I was unaware of this book but am excited to give it a read. On the podcast, they talked about what they had uncovered in the archives of his letters and Arthur Laurents's. Ockrent complicated a famous story about Sondheim's mother saying to him "The only thing I regret is giving you birth," saying she actually said "The only thing I feel guilt about is giving you birth." They had a very interesting discussion on the podcast about whether or not that is a meaningful distinction.

After feeling for years that I had heard the same facts about Sondheim's life again and again, I am excited to learn more about him from these podcasts and this new biography.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 3:51pm

Is there a definitive Sondheim biography, in anyone’s opinion? I will add the new one to my reading list, thank you Ravenclaw.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 5:54pm

TotallyEffed said: "Is there a definitive Sondheim biography, in anyone’s opinion? I will add the new one to my reading list, thank you Ravenclaw."

I don't think there is one that is both definitive and relatively recent. David Benedict began writing one with Sondheim's cooperation more than a decade ago, and I think he's said recently that he's still working on it.

In my opinion, most or all of the existing biographies are too attached to the history of the shows at the expense of Sondheim's actual life story (obviously I know they're intertwined). It sounds like Benedict's approach was intended to remedy that, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

Updated On: 3/10/26 at 05:54 PM

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 7:56pm

Having read a few of the biographies, this is the most earnest depiction of Sondheim that I have encountered. I’m quite infatuated with it and actually make time for it at night so that I’m not disturbed.

I also love that they’re talking negative of the dead: the way Sondheim would’ve wanted.  

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 5:06pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Thank you, JohnAdams and SteveSanders, for your helpful instructions."

You are very welcome! Your "thanks" is very much appreciated.