Stephen Schwartz | |
|---|---|
 Schwartz at the opening night of Funny Girl at theAugust Wilson Theatre inMidtown Manhattan, New York, April 2022 | |
| Born | Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (1948-03-06)March 6, 1948 (age 77) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals includingGodspell (1971),Pippin (1972), andWicked (2003). He has contributed lyrics toPocahontas (1995),The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996),The Prince of Egypt (1998, music and lyrics),Enchanted (2007),Disenchanted (2022), thetwo-part adaptation ofWicked (2024–2025, music and lyrics), and other successful films.
Schwartz has earnednumerous accolades including threeGrammy Awards, threeAcademy Awards, and aGolden Globe Award. He has received nominations for sixTony Awards, and aLaurence Olivier Award. He received the Tony Award'sIsabelle Stevenson Award in 2015.[1]
Schwartz is Jewish and was born[2] inNew York City to Sheila Lorna (née Siegel), a teacher, and Stanley Leonard Schwartz, a businessman.[3] He grew up in theWilliston Park area ofNassau County onLong Island where he graduated fromMineola High School inGarden City Park, New York in 1964.[4] While attendingCarnegie Mellon University inPittsburgh, he composed and directed an early version ofPippin (entitledPippin, Pippin) with the student-run theater groupScotch'n'Soda. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 1968 with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama.[5]
After returning to New York City, Stephen Schwartz went to work as a producer forRCA Records, however shortly afterwards, he began to work inBroadway theater. He was asked to be the musical director of the first Americanrock opera,The Survival of St. Joan. He was credited as the producer of the two-record concept recording with the progressive rock groupSmoke Rise onParamount Records. His first major credit was the title song for the playButterflies Are Free; the song was also eventually used in the movie version.[6]
In 1971, he wrote music and lyrics forGodspell, for which he won several awards including twoGrammys. For the musical'sToronto production in 1972, he askedPaul Shaffer to be the musical director, thus starting Shaffer's career.Godspell was followed by theEnglish language texts, in collaboration withLeonard Bernstein, for Bernstein'sMass, which opened theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts inWashington, D.C.. In 1972, the long-runningPippin premiered on Broadway. Schwartz had begun writing songs forPippin while in college, although none of the songs from the college version ended up in the Broadway production. BothPippin andGodspell continue to be frequently produced.[7]
In 1974, Schwartz wrote music and lyrics ofThe Magic Show, which ran for just under 2,000 performances. By mid-1974, at age 26, he had three smash hit musicals playing in the state simultaneously.
Next were the music and lyrics ofThe Baker's Wife, which closed before reaching Broadway after an out-of-town tryout tour in 1976. However, the cast album attained cult status, which led to several subsequent productions including aLondon production directed byTrevor Nunn in 1990; one at thePaper Mill Playhouse inMillburn, New Jersey in 2005; and another atClassic Stage Company in 2025.[8]
In 1978, Schwartz's next Broadway project was a musical version ofStuds Terkel'sWorking, which he adapted and directed, winning aDrama Desk Award as best director and for which he contributed four songs. He co-directed the television production, which was presented as part of theAmerican Playhouse series onPBS. In 1977, Schwartz wrote a children's book calledThe Perfect Peach. In the 1980s, he wrote songs for a one-act musical for children,The Trip, which 20 years later was revised, expanded, and produced asCaptain Louie. He then wrote music for three of the songs of theOff-BroadwayrevuePersonals, and lyrics toCharles Strouse's music for the musicalRags.[9]
In 1991, Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the musicalChildren of Eden. He then began working in film, collaborating with composerAlan Menken on the scores for theDisney animated featurePocahontas (1995), for which he received two Academy Awards andThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). He provided songs forDreamWorks' first musical animated feature,The Prince of Egypt (1998), winning another Academy Award for the song "When You Believe". He wrote music and lyrics for the original television musical,Geppetto (2000), seen onThe Wonderful World of Disney onABC. A stage adaptation of the musical premiered in June 2006 at The Coterie Theatre inKansas City, Missouri and was titledGeppetto and Son. It is known asDisney's My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto's Musical Tale. A version created for young performers, titledGeppetto & Son, Jr. had its world premiere on July 17, 2009, at theLyric Theatre inStuart, Florida. It was presented by the StarStruck Performing Arts Center.
In 2003, Schwartz returned to Broadway, as composer and lyricist forWicked, a musical based on the novelWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West telling the story of theOz characters from the point of view of the witches. He won a Grammy for his work as composer and lyricist and producer ofWicked'scast recording. On March 23, 2006, the Broadway production ofWicked passed the 1,000 performance mark, making Schwartz one of four composers (the other three beingAndrew Lloyd Webber,Jerry Herman, andRichard Rodgers) to have three shows last that long on Broadway (the other two werePippin andThe Magic Show). In 2007, Schwartz joined Herman as one of only two composer/lyricists to have three shows run longer than 1,500 performances on Broadway.
AfterWicked, Schwartz contributed music and lyrics for a new musical which was commissioned to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth ofHans Christian Andersen. The production, titledMit Eventyr or "My Fairytale", opened at the Gladsaxe Theatre inCopenhagen, Denmark in the fall of 2005. The American premiere ofMy Fairytale took place in the summer of 2011 at the PCPA Theatrefest of California and was directed by Stephen Schwartz's son, Scott Schwartz.
Stephen Schwartz returned toHollywood in 2007 and wrote lyrics for the hit Disney filmEnchanted, again collaborating with Menken. Three songs from the film, "Happy Working Song", "That's How You Know", and "So Close" were nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the theme song for thePlayhouse Disney showJohnny and the Sprites, starringJohn Tartaglia. Schwartz wroteincidental music for Scott Schwartz's adaptation ofWilla Cather'sMy Ántonia.
On several occasions prior to 2008, Stephen Schwartz had reached out toTim Dang who was the longtime artistic director ofAsian-Pacific Islander theater company,East West Players (EWP) inLos Angeles.[10] The collaboration led to the conception of a new version ofPippin, aesthetically inspired by Japaneseanime and musically inspired byhip-hop.[11] The production was a record-breaking hit and remained the highest grossing production in EWP's history[11] for an entire decade before being dethroned byAllegiance in 2018. In 2008, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books published the first Schwartz biography titledDefying Gravity, by Carol de Giere. It is a comprehensive look at his career and life, and includes sections on how to write for musical theater.
Turning to the pop world in 2009, Schwartz collaborated withJohn Ondrasik in writing two songs on theFive for Fighting albumSlice, the title track in addition to "Above the Timberline". Ondrasik became familiar with Schwartz based on his daughter's repeated attendance at performances of and affection for the musicalWicked. In September 2011, Northlight Theatre inSkokie, Illinois premiered Schwartz's new musical,Snapshots, featuring music and lyrics by Schwartz, book by David Stern, and was directed by Ken Sawyer. It blended together "some of the best-loved music with some of the genuinely wonderful lesser known gems of (the) renowned Broadway composer."[12] On March 22, 2012, theSan Francisco Gay Men's Chorus released "Testimony", composed by Schwartz with lyrics taken from submissions toDan Savage'sIt Gets Better Project.[13] In March 2015,Princess Cruises announced a partnership with Schwartz for the development of four shows over three years. The first will be a magic themed revue of Schwartz's music, titledMagic To Do, including a new song written for the show.[14]
Schwartz returned to write the lyrics for a sequel toEnchanted, titledDisenchanted,[15] and will do the same for a live-action remake ofThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.[16] In April 2020 he participated in a fund-raising video calledSaturday Night Seder which featured an "all-star" cast of performers, composers, and religious leaders broadcasting from their home computers and cellphones due to the practice of "social distancing" heavily practiced in response to thecoronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. The video was about the history ofPassover through stories, song, comedy and memories. It raised money for theCDC Foundation.[17] In 2023, theMetropolitan Opera celebrated Schwartz's 75th birthday with a special benefit concert featuring popular Broadway and opera stars.[18][19] In 2025, it was announced that Schwartz would receive theJohnny Mercer award at theSongwriters Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.[20]
Schwartz and Carole Piasecki married on June 6, 1969 and they have two children, Jessica and Scott.[3] Although he has not publicly commented on his sexual orientation, as of 2024, Schwartz is in a long-term relationship with Broadway actor and frequent collaborator Michael McCorry Rose. Schwartz and Rose have appeared together at public events and Schwartz is referred to as a 'long-term partner' on Michael McCorry Rose's official website.[21][22][23] In 2009, Schwartz was elected president of theDramatists Guild of America, succeedingJohn Weidman.[24] Schwartz stepped down in 2014 and Doug Wright took his place.[25]
Schwartz has won many major awards in his field including three Oscars, three Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards, a Golden Globe Award, theRichard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater and a self-described "tiny handful of tennis trophies".[29] He has received six Tony Award nominations, forWicked,Pippin, andGodspell, music/lyrics;Rags, lyrics; andWorking, music/lyrics and book.[30] In 2015, he received an honorary Tony Award, theIsabelle Stevenson Award, for his commitment to serving artists and fostering new talent.[1]
In April 2008, Schwartz was given astar on theHollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, he wasinducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[31] Also in 2009, he was inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[32] The induction ceremony took place on the night of January 25, 2010.[33] Schwartz received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree fromCarnegie Mellon University in May 2015.[34]
As planned right now, there's more singing and dancing than there was in the first one, and it's all original music, with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz coming back to do it.
Sources
