For the updated second edition of my Stephen Schwartz biography Defying Gravity, composer Alan Menken agreed to write a Foreword. Menken is Schwartz’s most frequent collaborator and he ended up writing ten fascinating pages about their work together.
Read more about Defying Gravity on my website or order signed copies Defying Gravity (CaroldeGiere.com)
Here’s the basic story of their collaboration:
Menken & Schwartz – A Collaboration Journey
When Alan Menken needed to partner with a new lyricist for Disney projects after Howard Ashman passed away, the name Stephen Schwartz didn’t spring instantly to mind. Menken, who had been working in Hollywood since Little Shop of Horrors and The Little Mermaid, wondered whether “a legendary composer-lyricist like Stephen would be comfortable in a collaboration with me.” In his new Foreword to the Schwartz biography Defying Gravity Second Edition, Menken shares his story of the moment Schwartz said “Yes” to working on lyrics for Disney’s Pocahontas and how “a phenomenal new chapter began for both of us.”
The pair’s first song “Colors of the Wind” earned them an Oscar, as did the score for the film. They went on to write songs for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Enchanted together. Then came the long journey for adapting The Hunchback of Notre Dame for the stage. The colorful behind-the-scenes story is covered in Defying Gravity Chapter 31: “From Movies to Stage Musicals: The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Prince of Egypt.”
For the stage version of Hunchback, the songwriters worked with two musical book writers: James Lapine for the German adaptation and then Peter Parnell for the recent English language version that is now available for licensing through Music Theatre International. The story gradually shifted closer to the the original Victor Hugo novel on which the movie was based. Story changes and stage musical expectations meant Menken and Schwartz needed to churn out at least ten new pieces beyond the movie songs.
While Menken is complimentary about his friend Stephen in his Foreword, he also reveals that there have been moments of frustration, partly because Schwartz likes to offer his opinions on every aspect of the projects. But whatever the challenges, the teaming has been a fruitful one providing musical fans with many favorite songs, from tender ballads like “God Help the Outcasts” from Hunchback to rousing choral numbers like “That’s How You Know,” from Enchanted.
Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked, Revised and Updated Second Edition also covers the full development story of Schwartz’s most popular musical for stage, Wicked, his first musical Godspell, and much more.
512 pages with over 100 photos, many from Schwartz’s personal archives.
ORDER DEFYING GRAVITY HERE: Defying Gravity (CaroldeGiere.com)
