Lord Knows, At Least I Was There

Working with Stephen Sondheim

By: Paul Ford, Mandy Patinkin - foreword

Narrated by: Paul Ford

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

When the Atlanta-born Paul Ford first fell in love with the American musical theater at the age of five after seeing the movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, he never imagined that his future skills as a "piano thumper" would lead him to a career on Broadway playing rehearsals or in the "pit" for such classic Stephen Sondheim musicals as Sunday in the Park with George, Follies in Concert, Into the Woods, Assassins (both off-Broadway and the Broadway revival), Passion, the 2005 production of Pacific Overtures, Wiseguys, Stephen Sondheim at Carnegie Hall, and numerous concerts, birthday tributes, and television spectaculars. In two of his Tony award acceptance speeches, Sondheim publicly declared Paul Ford the "indefatigable master of the musical theater" and "the world's most tireless rehearsal pianist and a walking memory bank of every song that has ever been written for any musical on any continent".

For more than 25 years, Paul Ford was also Mandy Patinkin's exclusive accompanist and musical collaborator on a series of recordings and live concerts that took the duo from Broadway to London to Australia and beyond. Patinkin offers a heartfelt tribute to his former associate in the book's foreword.

Now retired, the candid (and admittedly opinionated) author looks back on the performances and personalities that defined the American musical theater in the waning years of the 20th century. Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphy, Elaine Stritch, Victor Garber, Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Stockard Channing, Donna McKechnie, Lauren Bacall, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Martin Charnin, Liv Ullmann, Teresa Stratas, Charles Strouse, Harve Presnell, Nancy Walker, James Lapine, Madonna, Mario Cantone, Warren Beatty, Julie Harris, Michael Cerveris, Debra Monk, Leonard Bernstein, and, of course, Stephen Sondheim, are just a few of the legendary Broadway and Hollywood performers and creators who are lovingly (and sometimes not so lovingly) recalled in Paul Ford's honest and vivid account of his life and work both on and off-Broadway.

He also provides a portrait of his conflicted childhood in Atlanta, Georgia as a "sissy piano player", followed by a self-destructive period of alcoholism. Miraculously, a haunting encounter in a Hell's Kitchen saloon in May of 1995 with the leading lady of one of his favorite childhood movies gave Ford the incentive to clean up his life.

©2022 Paul Ford (P)2022 Moreclacke Publishing

Terrific!

What a terrific book for any true lover of theatre and real theatre history! Paul does an excellent job of narrating, as well!

PERFECT BOOK!

So wonderful listening to Paul Ford narrate his wonderfully written memoirs. Can’t recommend it highly, enough!!!!

Mostly Sondheim

The writer indeed has developed rather controversial views about art and artists (as Mandy Patinkin rightly observes in his preface). I tried to avoid this fact, but sometimes he is so arrogantly misinformed or opinionated that I had to grid on one tooth to brush his dumb delusions aside. Overall a very interesting read given that we have to acknowledge that it comes from a sometimes unintelligent and misinformed source who understands the world he lives in from a lob-sided angle.

I would have preferred another .more professional reader, as this one constantly runs out of breath and one can hear clearly where there were

Great Read!

This was absolutely detailed and provided lots of laughs and gasp as well!! Great personal stories and shared memories!!

I highly recommend this book.

Lord Knows I Wish He HADN'T been there.

He hated everything (except Gypsy and Follies) and almost everyone. Bitchy doesn't do the work justice!

Old Musical Theater Queen Hates New Music

Mr. Ford shows his racist, internalized homophobia a few too many times, all while whining about not being appreciated. It does encapsulate some of Broadway’s struggles to stay artistic and viable.