Sondheim Supplement #1
Introducing our exclusive weekly supplement
Welcome to our first Sondheim Supplement! Each Friday, paid subscribers will receive this exclusive newsletter packed with bonus material: a Sondheim-themed crossword to puzzle over each week; a subscriber-only bonus excerpt from each of our interviews; a carefully curated guide to This Week in Sondheim, featuring historical highlights and current happenings; a Lyric of the Week analysis; and we’ll be delving into the archives too.
We’re thrilled to offer this additional weekly newsletter for those who so generously support our work financially, while keeping our weekly essays and interviews accessible to all. We are an entirely reader-supported publication—paid subscriptions quite literally make all of our work possible. If you’re a paid subscriber, thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope this exclusive newsletter will be a nice weekly treat! If you’re currently a free subscriber, upgrading to paid will grant you access to every Sondheim Supplement going forward.
This Sunday, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at “The Ballad of Guiteau.” Until then, have a wonderful weekend.
Lyric of the Week
Sometimes you have to start small,
Climbing the tiniest wall,
Maybe you’re going to fall,
But it’s better than not starting at all!
For our first Sondheim Supplement, let’s begin with these lines from “Everybody Says Don’t,” a number that methodically dismantles the voices of caution and fear that hold us back. Here, “starting small” is not just advice, but a rebellion against paralysis—a quiet revolution in four lines. As we take our first steps into this new terrain, these words from Anyone Can Whistle remind us that every beginning requires a dash of courage and a willingness to risk a stumble.
Notice how the structure of these lines mirrors the journey they describe. We begin with necessity (“have to start”), move through action (“climbing”), confront risk (“maybe you’re going to fall”), and arrive at conviction (“better than not starting at all”). Recognition, attempt, fear, and ultimately—perspective. In these four perfectly crafted lines, Sondheim does what he does best: takes a universal truth and makes it sing.
Even the rhythm of these lines propels us forward. The tight, punchy phrasing—each clause tumbling into the next—creates a sense of inevitability, as if movement itself is the only option. Sondheim’s use of rapid end rhymes (“small” / “wall” / “fall” / “all”) locks the lyrics into a steady, forward-driving pattern, softening the fear of failure with a singsong quality that makes risk feel almost inviting. It’s a musical embodiment of the lesson: hesitation is stasis, but action—however small—has its own undeniable rhythm.
This passage distills a recurring theme in Sondheim’s work: the tension between safety and risk, between stasis and growth. And yes, we might fall—but as Sondheim reminds us, that’s infinitely better than remaining safely on the ground, never daring to begin at all. Here’s to starting small, climbing our own tiny walls, and seeing where each journey takes us.
The Sondheim Hub Crossword
Our first subscriber-only crossword is Sweeney Todd-themed. Take a look: