Updates from the world of Broadway and film composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and biographer Carol de Giere — a fan newsletter.
1) Welcome from Carol
Witness musical theater history in the making by attending a new Stephen Schwartz show during its pre-Broadway tryout. Enjoy The Queen of Versailles musical with Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham in the lead roles of Jackie and David Siegel. This special issue includes details about the show, including comments from Stephen Schwartz, ticket information, and more. I may see you there.
2) The Queen of Versailles New Stephen Schwartz Musical to Receive a Pre-Broadway Production
First Production to be Held in Boston
After several years of developmental readings for small audiences, The Queen of Versailles musical will take the next step this summer: a pre-Broadway try out. The premiere production runs July 16th through August 18th at Boston’s historic Emerson Colonial Theatre.
Please see the official website for full credits and details. https://queenofversaillesmusical.com/
Schwartz has been working on this musical with bookwriter Lindsey Ferrentino and director Michael Arden. Based on a 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles, it centers around the Florida couple Jackie and David Siegel who have tried to build the largest private home in America, inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France. The musical explores the true cost of fame, fortune, and family.
I can report from my first experience of the show in an early November reading that Stephen is bringing his full powers to this new work, employing an array of musical styles and insightful lyrics. I found it to be quite funny and poignant. It went beyond a story about the Siegels and brought common human foibles and vulnerabilities into view.
Benefits of the Boston Production
I recently asked Stephen for his perspective on the out-of-town production. He said, “I’m very much looking forward to it. Up until now the presentations have just been in rehearsal rooms for an audience of theater people. Some things may play well for this very insider crowd and not work at all for a regular audience and vice versa. The nice thing about an out-of-town tryout is that a general audience comes to see it and that’s very instructive. It’s also helpful to have a production and see how that affects the show—what’s better with a production, or does the production get in the way in any places? That’s really good to learn.”
Individual and Group Tickets
Individual tickets go on sale to the public on February 28 and we suggest you buy them right away. https://www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com/
A group of Stephen Schwartz fans are planning to attend a performance after previews. We may have a dinner gathering before the show or the next day. To receive information about this by email, please contact me at carol1@caroldegiere.com
PHOTOS: Left: Stephen Schwartz at one of his pianos, photo by Nathan Johnson. Right: Stephen Schwartz at a harpsicord on a field trip at the Palace of Versailles in France, 2022.
3) More about The Queen of Versailles New Musical – Early Development
The first spark for The Queen of Versailles musical came during a chance meeting in London between director Michael Arden and playwright Lindsey Ferrentino. Ferrentino is a Florida native who had heard of billionaires Jackie and David Siegel, the focus of the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles. When Arden and Ferrentino talked about adapting the documentary as a musical, Stephen Schwartz’s name came up right away.
Schwartz had been wanting to work with the multitalented Michael Arden for some time. He had admired Arden’s direction of Spring Awakening at Deaf West and, of course, his performance as Quasimodo in the stage version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
However, when approached about this project, he initially didn’t like the idea. Then after the American presidential election of 2016 he changed his mind. “I thought, there’s something happening in America that I don’t understand,” he said in an interview last year. “There’s something in the story of these people, the Siegels, that has to do with that. Therefore, I’m interested in exploring this, to investigate for myself. And that’s when I said I would do the show.”
Kristin Chenoweth
It helped that Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda for Wicked, would play the lead. Schwartz explained to a Variety interviewer (July 2023) why he loved working with Chenoweth for a work-in-progress: “She’s not just an actress who comes in and learns her music and learns her lines and performs them admirably. She’s very, very creative during the process of putting a show together and she has a lot of ideas and as a writer, she reveals a lot of things to you. So it’s been delightful to experience that again and work with her again.” (https://variety.com/2023/theater/news/stephen-schwartz-ascap-queen-of-versailles-1235675472/)
4. Children of Eden concert at Lincoln Center February 18, 2024.
Manhattan Concert Productions (MCP) has organized a rare New York City professional performance of this Stephen Schwartz – John Caird musical. Broadway veterans Tony Yazbeck (stage director) and Kimberly Grigsby (music director) will lead the chorus of 200 singers from across the United States, a star-studded cast and creative team, and the acclaimed New York City Chamber Orchestra. https://www.lincolncenter.org/venue/david-geffen-hall/children-of-eden-in-concert
5. Defying Gravity 2nd edition – Signed copies are available.
Explore the career story of this remarkable artist, Stephen Schwartz. Defying Gravity 2nd Edition takes readers through the making of Wicked, Godspell, The Prince of Egypt, Children of Eden, and other shows and movies. The book includes a series of “Creativity Notes” that reveal some of Schwartz’s creative strategies. https://caroldegiere.com/defying-gravity/
The Godspell Experience with a Foreword by Stephen Schwartz is a colorful account of Godspell’s creative journey. It includes a song-by-song section, and delightful comments from the show’s original cast members. Come sing—and read—about love! https://caroldegiere.com/the-godspell-experience/ Signed copies are available
About The Schwartz Scene
In the near future, we plan to move to the Substack publishing platform for ease in emailing the newsletter. If you’d like to be informed once the Substack/email list is set up, contact me at carol1@caroldegiere.com for more information. Meanwhile, if you are on Facebook, please LIKE our Facebook – Schwartz Scene page where I post news periodically. You can also check Stephen’s official site StephenSchwartz.com news section for updates.
Previous Issues of The Schwartz Scene
If you missed previous issues covering Schwartz’s comments about the Wicked movie and many other topics, please visit our Back issue archive.
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About this online fan newsletter: The Schwartz Scene is an independent publication written for musical theater and film enthusiasts who appreciate the work of American composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Although it does not formally represent Mr. Schwartz, Carol de Giere is in regular contact with the Schwartz office for updates and approval of his quotations. Send questions or comments by email to carol1@caroldegiere.com
Copyright 2024 by Carol de Giere. Journalists are asked to cite “The Schwartz Scene” newsletter if quoting, in brief, from this issue. Carol de Giere has exclusive rights, unless otherwise specified, for all materials included in the newsletter. Permission must be secured in writing before any part of it may be reprinted, except for the printing of one copy for the subscriber’s private use. Editor: Carol de Giere, 10 Library Place #909, Bethel CT 06801-0909.