Milwaukee writer remembers a decade of Broadway conversations and one big argument in 'Sondheim & Me'

For a decade, Milwaukee's Paul Salsini had a remarkable view of what Stephen Sondheim was like when the musical theater composer was "finishing the hat."

That phrase comes from the painter character in Sondheim's musical "Sunday in the Park with George," who feels compelled to complete the details of his creation even when his personal life is in uproar.

During the decade he edited The Sondheim Review, Salsini corresponded and talked regularly with Sondheim while the composer worked doggedly on a musical that would variously be called "Bounce,' "Wise Guys," "Gold!" and "Road Show."

"He was really excited. I mean, almost like a kid," Salsini said.

Salsini's new book, "Sondheim & Me: Revealing a Musical Genius" (Bancroft Press), is both a memoir of his interactions with the composer and a judicious sampling of articles, essays and interviews from The Sondheim Review, which folded in 2016 long after Salsini's departure.

Salsini will launch the book with an in-person event Oct. 18 at Milwaukee's Boswell Books.

Salsini, a Marquette University graduate, worked for decades as a reporter, editor and staff development director at The Milwaukee Journal, before taking a buyout when the Journal merged with the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1995. But he was also a passionate musical theater devotee who traveled to New York to catch new Broadway productions.

Seeing "Follies" in 1972 hooked him on shows with Sondheim's music and words. A decade later, Salsini would occasionally mail Sondheim a note after seeing one of his musicals; to his surprise, he often received a courteous note back from the composer.

In 1994, inspired by the excellent semi-annual newsletter of the Kurt Weill Foundation, Salsini conceived a newsletter covering his favorite living composer's works, which quickly grew into The Sondheim Review, a quarterly magazine of news, reviews, interviews and essays.

TSR also often included a short note from Sondheim, usually with corrections or "emendations" about a previous issue. "He obviously considered The Sondheim Review important because it would provide a permanent record," Salsini writes in his book.

The composer-lyricist of "Sweeney Todd," "Into the Woods" and "Sunday in the Park with George" made time for phone calls for this guy from Milwaukee. Salsini believes that happened because the magazine "would always be about the work, not the man."

In interviews with Salsini and other TSR contributors, reprinted or excerpted in "Sondheim & Me," the composer disclosed details about how he worked and why he chose the shows he did. He regularly insisted that story was the most important element to him. "You get attracted to a story, and you do it, for whatever series of reasons, whether they're psychological or theatrical or a combination of both," he told Salsini in an interview about the musical "Passion."

Speaking of "Passion," a TSR magazine review of the London production sparked the only blow-up between Sondheim and Salsini. The explosion was all on the composer's side. He called Salsini and burst into a litany of complaints, most of which Salsini thought were overblown or wrong.

"Writing about this episode twenty-five years later, I am still baffled and have no explanation," Salsini notes in his book.

But their otherwise cordial professional relationship continued through the decade Salsini edited TSR. He has pondered why Sondheim gave him so much time over the years. "I think he looked for affirmation from people," Salsini said.

Sondheim lovers will find many juicy tidbits among the interviews, essays and letters repurposed in Salsini's book. For example, "Send in the Clowns," one of his signature songs, was originally going to be for the male character (Len Cariou) in "A Little Night Music." But after he finished it, everyone knew it had to go to the female character (Glynis Johns) – before it went on to become a hit for Judy Collins and a standard.

Contact Jim Higgins at jim.higgins@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jhiggy.

MORE: 'As always, Steve': Corresponding with Sondheim, note by note

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If you go

Salsini will talk about "Sondheim & Me" in conversation with writer Mike Fischer at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave. Admission is free, but registration is required. Visit boswellbooks.com.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: In 'Sondheim & Me,' Milwaukee writer relives connection with composer