The Schwartz Scene

What Has Stephen Schwartz Been Doing Since Finishing Wicked?

Posted on composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz’s 70th birthday – March 6, 2018

At a restaurant in midtown Manhattan in October of 2003, Stephen Schwartz attended a party with close friends who had witnessed his labors on the musical Wicked Over the years. He was planning to skip the official opening night when the green carpet would spread in front of the Gershwin Theatre entrance. By the time the critics were ready to sneer at the new show after the October 30th opening, Stephen and his wife Carole had already packed their Jeep and driven to a remote hideaway in the mountains of Vermont for a long and finally restful weekend.

He was 55 years old and ready for something new. Where would he like to work next? Not on Broadway.

A week before Wicked opened, his friend Philip LaZebnik called him up out of the blue from his home in Denmark. LaZebnik, who wrote the screenplay for The Prince of Egypt, was now writing the book of a stage musical based around the imagination of Hans Christian Andersen, Mit Eventyr (“My Fairy Tale”). He asked if Schwartz would consider writing some songs for the show to be performed in Copenhagen. The songwriter listened to the ideas and said yes on the spot. As it turned out, Hans Christian Andersen would come up often in the subsequent years, including an American production of My Fairy Tale in 2011, a cruise musical (in development), and an option for a movie musical (2018).

But going back to his post-Wicked years of 2003-2005, we know that Schwartz aspired to work again in Hollywood. He had already contributed to three animated features (Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Prince of Egypt), and he was hoping for something new. He often mentioned to his friend and Disney collaborator Alan Menken that he’d love to work on a live-action movie musical. Soon enough his wish came true.

Director Kevin Lima had been reworking a screenplay for the movie Enchanted and was finally ready to finalize songs. In late December 2005, Schwartz and Menken began their next collaboration, one with an opening song for an animated section and the rest for the live-action main section of the movie that would star Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, and others. It premiered in 2007.

Another project that threaded through Schwartz’s life was The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After the animated feature’s release in 1996, Menken and Schwartz worked on songs for a German stage version, Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, that played in Berlin in the late 90s. Then there were ideas for making a TV movie version. Finally, it was settled that there would be an English language stage version. After several years of work, it premiered in 2015 and quickly became popular for licensing by theatres around the country. A cast album shows off the new songs. (Read about the stage version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.)

With book writer David Stern, Schwartz completed a stage musical with an Italian influence: Disney’s My Son, Pinocchio full version (2006) and junior version (2013). The junior version has become especially popular with schools and community theatres. Stern and Schwartz also completed the musical revue Snapshots  that recently has been made available for licensing by Music Theatre International (an ideal show for small theaters).

After taking time out to write an opera, Schwartz joined efforts on a stage musical related to the opera world. With his friend Christian Struppeck (whom he met while working on Der Glockner…), he developed a stage musical based on the marriage of Emanuel and Eleanore Schikaneder as a kind of prequel to Mozart’s popular opera The Magic Flute. Schikaneder premiered in Vienna, Austria, in 2016. Expectations remain high for a commercial English language production in the UK or USA. PHOTO: Christian Struppeck and Stephen Schwartz hold a work session in Vienna.

To further vary his creative experiences, Schwartz agreed with Princess Cruise lines to guide the development of four cruise musicals. These would be based around his own ideas and the work of his colleagues. They have included Magic To Do, Born to Dance, and The Secret Silk. Another, potentially titled Hans, may be based on My Fairy Tale.

Work on recent revivals of Godspell, Pippin, and Rags have been heart-warming for the songwriter. And, as always, he continues to support new musicals through the ASCAP workshops as well as leadership with the Dramatists Guild and continues to give concerts and support causes through various fundraisers. He also worked with Philip LaZebnik on the stage adaptation of The Prince of Egypt.

Hollywood calls again

Work on the Wicked movie adaptation has been underway for a while. Now in the latest Stephen Schwartz news, a new as-yet-untitled movie musical has been optioned by Fox 2000.  The story again goes back to Hans Christian Andersen. As is explained in the Deadline article: “The musical isn’t a biopic; it was pitched as a four quadrant epic musical fantasy in which Andersen as a young man gets trapped in a world of his own imagination. And as Hans searches for a way back to reality, he comes face-to-face with characters from his own fairy tales, nearly all of whom try to trap him in their world forever.”

Schwartz once said when speaking about Enchanted, “The biggest problems with doing live-action musicals is justifying why the characters are suddenly bursting into song in the middle of very real sets and very real situations. So one of the great things I thought about Enchanted was that the concept itself allowed the characters to sing in a way that was completely integral to the plot of the story.” A similar idea may hold for the new movie: if it is tied to imagination and fantasy anyway, the audiences won’t be expecting realism.

To learn more, watch for the revised and updated edition of the biography Defying Gravity: the Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked. (Fall 2018). The photo at the top of this article is from a work session in 2017 with Stephen Schwartz and me, author Carol de Giere.

Stay updated by “liking” the Schwartz Scene Facebook page and read The Schwartz Scene issues – check the right hand menu for links. Here’s a link to Issue 61 for Winter – Spring 2018 with an updated written by composer Schwartz.

Fresh Takes on Wicked

PHOTO: from the Young Australian Broadway Chorus production, January 2018.

In 2015, after professional productions of Wicked had toured several times and the show had run in big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, the producers decided to make the musical available for licensing by “Australian Musical Societies.” Eager theatre groups accepted the challenge of staging the show with their own choreography, sets, costumes, lighting, and local stars—with directors seeing the show through different eyes. Here are a few of the productions, with photos or links to photos:

In Melbourne, the first non professional theatre to venture into Wicked’s Oz was CLOC Musical Theatre in 2016. See photos here – CLOC WICKED:

In Sydney that year, Packemin Productions ran Wicked with a combination of professional and amateur actors. Photos were posted on Broadwayworld – Sydney article.

In 2017, The Show Company staged the Hobart, Tasmania premiere of Wicked, which won numerous awards. It also holds the distinction of being the world’s southern most production of Wicked.

More productions are in the works, including one for the Zest Theatre Group in Victor Harbor, South Australia in 2018, Showbiz Christchurch, New Zealand in 2018, and Cairns Choral Society in Queensland in 2019.

Flexibility in Casting

One advantage of the non-replicated productions is that they can include as many cast members as will fit on a stage. A critically praised production in 2018 by the Young Australian Broadway Chorus included 114 ensemble members (ages 10 to 21) with teenage stars. Here are several photos from the show, used with permission.

See photos below. For more, go to Young Australian Broadway Chorus Wicked.

Positively Emerald!

See The Prince of Egypt Musical in 2018

From “Deliver Us” to “When You Believe,” the songs from The Prince of Egypt musical will be delighting audiences again soon. In 2018, several theatres will mount productions of this stage adaptation, a work in progress by the original composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and screenwriter (now bookwriter) Philip LaZebnik.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley held the world premiere last summer, a co-production with Fredericia Theater of Denmark, both directed by Scott Schwartz. The show moves to Denmark April 6, 2018 where it will play in both English and Danish.

The Prince of Egypt at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Utah

Back in America, Tuacahn Amphitheatre has snagged a production opportunity for their outdoor venue near Saint George, Utah, July 13 to October 20th 2018. The show will be performed in repertory with several others throughout the season. This updated version of The Prince of Egypt with a new director will be part of the show’s continued development. See the Tuacahn website for more about their upcoming programs that includes shows, concerts, and backstage tours.

Southwest Utah provides a desert setting for the musical set in Egypt. It is also an ideal vacation spot near Zion and Bryce National Parks, and the Grand Canyon.

Tuacahn was also one of the first theaters to stage the new stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. See photos here: The Hunchback blog post.

The Prince of Egypt Gathering 2017

Inspired by an invitation in the last The Schwartz Scene newsletter, about 30 Stephen Schwartz fans gathered for the opening at TheatreWorks in Mountain View, October 14, 2017. We also enjoyed a Q and A session with Stephen Schwartz and Philip LaZebnik. (PHOTOS below: Stephen Schwartz at breakfast interview session with Carol de Giere and guests; Opening night photo with  Brandy Laplante, Carol de Giere, and show director Scott Schwartz.)

Songs

The stage production features many more songs than the 1998 DreamWorks animated feature, The Prince of Egypt. The song list for the TheaterWorks Fall 2017 production included:

ACT ONE: Deliver Us, Faster, Ma’at, One Weak Link, the Secret Room, Footprints on the Sand, Dance to the Day, All I Ever Wanted, I Will Make it Right/No Power on Earth, Through Heaven’s Eyes, Never in a Million Years, Act I Finale

ACT TWO: One of Us, The Naming Ceremony, Always On My Side, One of Us (reprise), The Plagues, For the Rest of My Life, Heartless, When You Believe, Ma’at (reprise), Act II Finale.

DreamWorks Theatricals, a division of Universal Theatrical Group, has not yet announced any specifics about the future status of this show. Update February 2018: Be sure to also read Stephen Schwartz’s comments for 2018: The Schwartz Scene 61.

Sheet Music

If you want to sing some of the songs from the movie that will remain in the show – “When You Believe” solo and choral versions, “Through Heaven’s Eyes,” and “Deliver Us” see The Prince of Egypt at Sheet Music Plus for individual sheet music or piano, vocal, guitar songbook from Cherry Lane Music

OR at Amazon

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Lyric Writing and Puzzles: Finding a Perfect Fit

This article is being published in conjunction with The Schwartz Scene issue 60.

PHOTO: A Broadway-related jigsaw puzzle being assembled. Puzzle available at Barnes and Noble – Michael Storrings.

By Carol de Giere

Standing for the first time in the hallway of Stephen Schwartz’s Manhattan office, I noticed a visual clue for the prevailing metaphor of his profession—puzzle-solving. Hanging on a wall was a framed magazine page showing “Key of C,” a British-style crossword puzzle co-authored by Schwartz. It turns out that he’s a life-long enthusiast for such things as cryptic crossword puzzles, Scrabble, and brainteasers–leisure exercises for someone whose profession involves solving storytelling riddles and addressing intricate rhyming schemes.

Although he didn’t plan to become a lyricist while studying piano and composition in the preparatory division at Juilliard as a young teenager, he changed his mind while attending Carnegie Mellon University. “I had always wanted to be a composer, and then I began being my own lyricist in college because I couldn’t find people to write lyrics for my songs whose work I felt strongly enough about,” he reveals. (Defying Gravity biography, page 28.)

He had the mental capacity for it all along. William Gronfein, one of Schwartz’s boyhood friends, explains that young Schwartz already demonstrated an interest in this process that is so valuable to the constrained craft of lyric writing. “He was very good at putting puzzles together,” remembers Gronfein. “We had a puzzle called Hex, and it involved putting together variously-shaped pieces in such a way that the colors formed a particular pattern. It was very difficult, but Steve got it.”

A musical theater fan once asked Schwartz why he thought more composers don’t also write their own lyrics. He commented, “…music is very instinctive, pre-conscious and pre-verbal, whereas lyrics are much more conscious and by definition verbal, more like little puzzles to solve. Some composers have far more affinity for the former than the latter. I do agree with you that some composers are probably better lyricists than they know — for instance, I encouraged Andrew Lippa to write his own lyrics when he was beginning work on The Wild Party, and he turned out to be extremely skilled as a lyricist as well as a brilliant composer; similarly John Kander is now writing his own lyrics to complete projects he began in collaboration with the late Fred Ebb.” (Schwartz forum – On Musicals)

In Schwartz’s career, in addition to working as a composer-lyricist on Broadway, he has dazzled Disney audiences with his clever lyrics for Pocahontas, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted. And he will continue to write music and/or lyrics in the years to come. He is currently working on a fully revised version of the musical Rags, for which he is writing new lyrics and rewriting some of the ones he’d crafted for the 1986 Broadway version. He has also been paired with Alan Menken for a new movie for which he will write lyrics only.

Poem to Lyric for The Prince of Egypt

As a songwriter for the theater, Schwartz’s lyric writing has another quality other than clever rhyme. It also reflects the character who is singing it and the moment it fits in the musical. For the movie musical The Prince of Egypt, now a stage musical as well, he needed to write a song for a scene in the desert after Moses has left Egypt. He made three different passes at the song, but nothing seemed quite right in context. Finally, studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg suggested that the song reflect the philosophy of Jethro, the spiritual leader of the tribe who accepted Moses. The movie’s co-director Steve Hickner remembered an anonymous poem “Measure of a Man,” that he thought might form the basis of a song. Schwartz read the poem and adapted it to the context and to the character Jethro. “Through Heaven’s Eyes” is sung in the movie by Brian Stokes Mitchell.

The poem included the lines

Not—how did he die?
But—how did he live?
Not—what did he gain?
But—what did he give?

These are the merits
To measure the worth
Of a man as a man
Regardless of birth

Schwartz transformed that with images from his experiences and impressions of Egypt and the Sinai.

In The Prince of Egypt, Jethro sings “Through Heaven’s Eyes” to Moses during a time of self-doubt:

…So how can you see what your life is worth
Or where your value lies?
You can never see through the eyes of man
You must look at your life,
Look at your life through heaven’s eyes…

(More details can be found in the Schwartz biography, Defying Gravity.)

Musical theater fans will soon enjoy the benefits of well-puzzled efforts for The Prince of Egypt stage adaptation. The first production opens in the fall of 2017 at TheatreWorks in Silicon Valley. The new Rags premieres at Goodspeed Musicals in Connecticut, Oct – December, 2017.

1000-piece Broadway puzzle includes Wicked images. Broadway Puzzle

This article is being published in connection with The Schwartz Scene spring/summer issue 2017.

Copyright 2017 by Carol de Giere

Albums with Stephen Schwartz music/lyrics or lyrics

2016 Releases

This year brought an abundance of new recordings for fans of composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Here are some details.

Even musical enthusiasts who don’t know a word of German may enjoy the tunes of the new album from Schikaneder. In the USA find it here: Schikaneder cast album or itunes.

As you may know, Stephen collaborated on a musical that is largely based on historical personalities and incidents leading up to the premier of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute. The show is playing in Vienna, Austria through June 2017.

Read more about the show and see a video clip at Schikaneder – on MusicalSchwartz.com.

To get the album from Europe, one source is Amazon Germany. Schikaneder – Europe

Season of Light

A new holiday choral music album includes one of Stephen Schwartz’s songs, “We Are Lights.” It also features “Grateful” by Stephen’s close friend John Bucchino. Find the album here: Season of Light album or on itunes.

Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA (EVUSA) is one of New York’s preeminent choral ensembles.

PHOTO Judith Clurman, Stephen Schwartz, and pianist Lee Musiker from the recording session. ©Richard Termine photographer (used with permission).

Magic To Do

Several years ago Princess Cruise lines enlisted Stephen Schwartz to oversee the creative development for a total of four new musicals that would debut onboard. The first was Magic To Do.

Now we can all enjoy the album. It features two previously unrecorded songs, “Beyond Belief” and “It’ll Be Me,” from Houdini (a show that Stephen is no longer working on). It also includes some of the more popular songs from Pippin, Wicked, and other shows with new arrangements, and one original piece, “A Little Magic.”Get the CD with lyrics Magic to Do album on Amazon.com (also available on iTunes and other services) and visit the full Magic To Do page on MusicalSchwartz.com for more details and videos with some of the colorful stagings from the show.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

With a score by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, the new recording for the stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame features new songs not included on the movie soundtrack, as well as revised songs. My favorite new piece, “Tavern Song (Thai Mol Piyas)” includes some lyrics in Romani – the language that a real-life Esmeralda would have used. Order the CD here: The Hunchback of Notre Dame studio album or use iTunes. The new musical is now listed for prospective local productions on the Music Theatre International site. Read more at The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Stage Adaptation.

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This article is being published in association with The Schwartz Scene issue 59, Fall 2016.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame on Stage – Summer 2016

The new version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame has been dazzling audiences across America this summer. Stunning production photos and video clips show off the dramatic qualities of this adaptation.

Audiences can purchase a studio recording to savor the Alan Menken / Stephen Schwartz songs. The album features songs written for the stage adaptation as well as familiar pieces like “God Help the Outcast” and “Hellfire” from the Disney animated feature. Among the new musical numbers are “Rest and Recreation,”  “Rhythm of the Tambourine,” “Esmeralda,” “Tavern Song,” “Flight into Egypt,” “In a Place of Miracles,” and “Made of Stone.” BUY THE ALBUM – Hear clips. Stephen Schwartz served as lyricist on this project as he did for the Disney film.

New Interpretations

Disney opened up licensing of the new musical to professional companies for the first summer after the show’s development. Each production had its unique design, casting, and staging. In this article we’ll feature photos from an outdoor production in Utah, used with permission, as well as video clips from various productions. Licensing is still limited but that may open up in 2017. Read more on our MusicalSchwartz.com The Hunchback of Notre Dame – stage page.

A production in Utah at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre runs through October 15. The Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production plays in Ft. Lauderdale at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts October 20 – November 6: The Hunchback in South Florida.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

An outdoor production at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, Utah, included a live goat as Esmeralda’s pet, puppets, flying, pyrotechnics, and a fireworks display. The production stars Julian Decker as Quasimodo, Aloysius Gigl as Frollo, Summer Naomi as Esmeralda, David Sattler as Phoebus, and Ernie Pruneda as Clopin. A large ensemble and choir also contributed to the drama. These photos by Daryl Getman show off some of the enhancements. A video follows.

Quasimodo with gargoyles: Julian Decker and Company:

Below: Fireworks: The Tuacahn Amphitheatre Company of The Hunchback of Notre dame.

 Video clips show the goat and other delights from the production at Tuacahn Amphitheatre. See below or watch directly on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_7-kcsoVNI

La Miranda – Los Angeles Premiere; Music Circus – Sacramento

This production was the first time that the character Quasimodo, who is deaf in the original novel, was played by a deaf actor, John McGinty. Dino Nicandros provided the singing voice of Quasimodo. The cast also included Cassie Simone as Esmeralda, Mark Jacoby as Frollo, Keith A. Bearden as Clopin, Eric Kunze as Phoebus, as well as a large ensemble.

Production clips:

The Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine

The first production after Paper Mill Playhouse was held at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. From a review: “Immensely evocative, with stunning design and hosting storyline both timeless and universal, Shaun Kerrison has directed a work of art.” – Portsmouth Herald. The cast included Broadway veterans F. Michael Haynie as Quasimodo, Sydney Morton as Esmeralda, and others.

Don’t miss this stirring cast album:

Enjoy the making of the studio recording with cast interviews, interviews with Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, and scenes inside the studio.

Each year, New York City’s Symphony Space hosts an eight-hour musical extravaganza that celebrates the work of a particular composer. On April 16, 2016, Stephen Schwartz’s work received the honor. The “Wall to Wall Stephen Schwartz” concert began at 3:00 pm and featured over 100 performers exploring Schwartz’s wide-ranging body of work.

Sonia Manzano of the original Godspell cast and a long-time supporter of Symphony Space helped introduce the event. Stephen spoke and explained that he’d be there in the audience the whole time, except when he was performing a piece on stage. During breaks in the music, many people went over to his seat to greet him.

This well-planned concert featured fresh takes on older standards as well as several debuts. It included songs from Schwartz’s stage and film work, and some of his choral and opera pieces as well. Audiences enjoyed hour after hour of great performances from Broadway favorites like Raúl Esparza, Patti LuPone, Tovah Feldshuh, Cass Morgan, Lindsay Mendez, and others. Wicked‘s Rachel Tucker and Tuck Everlasting’s Carolee Carmello were among the Broadway stars who sped up to Symphony Space on the Upper West Side to sing during their time off between their matinee and evening performances. Several of Stephen’s songwriter friends paid him musical or spoken tribute, including John Bucchino, Chris Curtis, Andrew Lippa, Matthew Skylar, Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.

From Godspell to his newest work, Schikaneder, every show that Stephen has had a hand in was represented. The Magic Show closed on Broadway in 1978 but the Symphony Space audience was treated to Liz Callaway singing Schwartz favorites “Lion Tamer” and “West End Avenue.” Stephen himself and Debbie Gravitte sang the high-speed duet “Two’s Company.” Hunter Parrish from the Broadway revival of Godspell helped bring that show into focus. If there was to be an award for cutest performance, it would have to go to the 13-year-old professional actor Joshua Colley, who charmed with “Neat to be a Newsboy” from Working.

In advance of the event, the planners obtained some unpublished sheet music from Schwartz for some nearly forgotten pieces. At the concert, Rachel Bay Jones and Erik Altemus from the recent Pippin revival sang “Just Between the Two of Us”–an early draft of a love song for Pippin that was dropped from the show back in 1972. Following that, Jones and Kyle Dean Massey (who played the title role in the Pippin revival) sang “Love Song” that Schwartz wrote to replace the earlier piece. A similar replacement pair came up for Wicked, with Lindsay Mendez singing the original “Making Good,” and Rachel Tucker performing the replacement song “The Wizard and I.”

Another treat during the concert was “True Love’s Kiss” from the animated section of Disney’s Enchanted performed live on stage by Alli Mauzey, Drew Gehling, with the Yale Vocal Ensemble and the Pit Stop Players. A rhythmically fascinating debut was “Bollywood Superstar,” a song from an unproduced DreamWorks movie with lyrics by Schwartz and music by Slum Dog Millionaire composer A. R. Rahman.

Judith Clurman’s chorus Essential Voices USA performed the choral work “Testimony.” Several pieces from Schwartz’s opera were also represented. Pippin’s “Morning Glow” served as a very grand finale, sung by Kyle Dean Massey, Patina Miller, and Essential Voices USA.

In advance of the event, Symphony Space posted a list of songs to be featured in the show’s three sections. I posted information about these pieces: Wall to Wall article – song details

This article is being published as part of The Schwartz Scene newsletter issue 58. See the newsletter for the latest Stephen Schwartz news.

Updates on Children of Eden

There is no journey gone so far
So far we cannot stop and change direction....

(Stephen Schwartz, “In the Beginning” from Children of Eden)

Children of Eden has transformed many times since the show was conceived in the mid 1980s. After a short run in London in 1991, a revised version of Children of Eden was staged in America where it became one of the most popular licensed musicals for Music Theatre International.

The musical features a varied and stirring score by Stephen Schwartz and poignant book by John Caird. One of the main themes is the role of second chances. The shape and format of the show has had many chances to transform.

Symphonic Version News

PHOTO RIGHT: Stephen Schwartz announces the production described below. 

Photos in this section are by: Carmelita Watkinson / Courtesy of Young Artists of America

On Sunday, March 13, 2016, Young Artists of America at Strathmore (YAA) presented the youth premiere of the new symphonic version of Children of Eden. Stephen Schwartz participated in the event that involved a show cast, full symphonic orchestra, and chorus of over 350 youths from all over the DC Metro area (including 250 younger artists from North Bethesda Middle School). Ken Page, who originated the role of “Father” in London, reprised his role for this performance. Noah Himmelstein, the Manhattan-based theatre and opera director, served as music director.

PHOTO BELOW: 

Youth Symphonic presentation of Children of Eden with Amanda Yuan (partially obscured), Bobby Gallagher, Julia Fanzares, Ethan Miller (in rear), Ari Goldbloom-Helzner, and Kevin Key at the Music Center at Strathmore.

PHOTO BELOW: Stephen Schwartz with Young Artists of America’s ensemble for Children of Eden

Children of Eden Jr. Update

On May 1, 2016, Stephen Schwartz attended a reading for a newly revised version of Children of Eden Jr. in order to test the current running time. Broadway Jr. shows are expected to be 70 minutes long. The presentation clocked in under 70 minutes. Schwartz, John Caird, and Lindsay Maron have been working on this adaptation over the past year and it is still receiving minor adjustments.

PHOTO ABOVE: Sean Puzzo, Lindsay Maron, Stephen Schwartz, and Alex Ratner, all working on the reading of Children of Eden Jr. 

This article is being published as part of The Schwartz Scene newsletter issue 58. See the newsletter for the latest Stephen Schwartz news.

The Full Children of Eden Story

For those who are interested in the show, the Stephen Schwartz biography Defying Gravity includes twenty-one pages on the making of Children of Eden.

Schikaneder’s World Premiere will be September 30, 2016, in Vienna

I’ve included two video clips with this story.

On March 10th, the Raimund Theater by way of the website www.Musicalvienna.at introduced the upcoming new musical Schikaneder through a livestreamed press conference. Schikaneder will have its world premiere on September 30th in Vienna, performed in German with English surtitles. The announcement has become trending on the web. This might contribute to the project’s success.

Christian Struppeck, the bookwriter and artistic director with whom Stephen Schwartz collaborated, hosted the event. Part of the press conference was presented in German and the rest in English. During the livestream, Stephen Schwartz sat at the piano on stage and played several samplings of songs for the new work.

PHOTO: Composer Stephen Schwartz on the computer screen by way of the livestreamed press conference.

During the press conference, Director Trevor Nunn spoke by way of a pre-recorded video. He reported that the show is not only a romantic musical, but is the story of how one of the world’s great operas, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, came to be written and staged. He described Schikaneder as being highly theatrical and “full of surprises and originality.”

Anthony Ward, the designer of sets and costumes, explained his interest in making this a period piece based on research of 18th century theaters and dress. The show promises to be visually fascinating. Orchestrator David Cullen spoke and Struppeck also introduced and interviewed cast members.

As the culmination of the press event, the cast members playing Emanuel and Eleanore Schikaneder sang a duet from the show, “Dream Big,” or in German, “Träume Grosse.” It was accompanied by the full 35-piece orchestra (Koen Schootsthat, music director) that will perform with the musical this fall. The charming performance by Milica Jovanovic and Mark Seibert showed the stunning result of Cullen’s orchestrations and Stephen Schwartz’s Mozart-tinged musical theatre score. Read more about the show Schikaneder – at MusicalSchwartz.com

VIDEO: Milica Jovanovic as ELEONORE SCHIKANEDER and Mark Seibert as EMANUEL SCHIKANEDER sing “Dream Big,” or “Träume Grosse” from Schikaneder.

VIDEO – Composer Stephen Schwartz, speaking in English, explains the new musical and its relationship to Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute.

Stephen Schwartz is the American composer-lyricist known best for Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and his work for Disney and DreamWorks. This article is being published as part of The Schwartz Scene newsletter. To keep up with Stephen Schwartz’s activities, please subscribe to The Schwartz Scene.

Link to full press conference with notes in English.

This article is being published as part of The Schwartz Scene newsletter issue 58. See the newsletter for the latest Stephen Schwartz news.