Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked
(Applause Books). Defying Gravity takes readers into the creative world of Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, from writing Godspell 's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit Wicked . For this first authorized biography, de Giere draws from 80 hours of interviews with Schwartz and over 100 interviews with his colleagues, friends, and family. Her sympathetic yet frank narrative reveals never-before-told stories and explores both Schwartz's phenomenal hits and expensive...
Search in google:
Defying Gravity takes readers into the creative world of Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, from writing Godspell's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit Wicked. For this first authorized biography, de Giere draws from 80 hours of interviews with Schwartz and over 100 interviews with his colleagues, friends, and family. Her sympathetic yet frank narrative reveals never-before-told stories and explores both Schwartz's phenomenal hits and expensive flops. The book also includes a series of "Creativity Notes" with insights about artistic life, and more than 200 photographs and illustrations. "In Defying Gravity, Carol de Giere pulls back the curtain and gives us a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of one of the musical theater's greatest wizards." - Stephen Flaherty, Tony-Award winning composer of Ragtime, Seussical, and Once On This Island "This is a fantastic book, scrapbook, story and photo collection." - Broadwayworld.com "Defying Gravity, which takes its name from the Act 1 closer in Wicked, is not just a he-did-this-then-he-did-this biography: de Giere reconstructs the collaborative process that brought Schwartz's works to the Great White Way." - The Journal News "A wonderful read. And the Wicked section provides a comprehensive account of a thoroughly recondite and even mysterious event: the gestation and birth of a phenomenon." - Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked (the novel), Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men "Trying to reconstruct the writing process of a musical is nearly impossible. Carol de Giere has captured it." - Winnie Holzman, book writer for Wicked (the musical) "This is a loving, in-depth look at the career and process of one of our most important musical theater writers. I am happy to have it on my shelf." - Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning lyricist of Ragtime "A must-have for any of the composer's many fans." - Theatermania.com
Overture: Entry to Schwartz's Oz 1The Creative CareerAct I - 1948 to 1974Early Success: Godspell, Pippin, and The Magic Show1 A Focused Childhood 52 Morning Glow: The College Years 153 Transitions: Keep Dancing Through 314 Godspell Off-Off-Broadway 435 Godspell at Cherry Lane 556 Godspell Meets Mass and Pippin 677 Pippin Comes to Broadway 818 The Magic Show Conjures Up a Crowd 107Act II -1974 to 1991Downturn: the Baker's Wife, Working, Rags, and Children of Eden9 The Baker's Wife: Mixed Ingredients 12110 Working: Help Wanted 14511 Mid-journey Reflections 17512 Rags and the 1980s 18513 Children of Eden: Second Chances 205Act III -1991 to 2003A Comeback: Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Prince of Egypt14 Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame 22915 Mulan and The Prince of Egypt 249Wicked16 Landing in Oz 27117 Structuring Twists and Turns 27918 On the Right Track 28719 Story by Committee 29520 Somewhere Over the Keyboard 30121 First Drafts and "Adjustifications" 30722 We're Off to See a Reading 31323 Turning Points in Oz 32124 If We Only Had a Team 33325 Character Development 34926 The Countdown Begins 36127 Shock at First Sight 38728 Pre-Broadway Summer 40129 Wicked on Broadway 413Epilogue: After the Tonys 427ExtrasAbout an Author and a Songwriter 435From Idea to Audience: The Odyssey of a Song 441Godspell Song Stories 457Updates and New Projects 479An Enchanted Conversation 491Workshops and Concerts 497Wicked Outline by Stephen Schwartz 503Recordings 511Notes 514SelectedBibliography 518Licensing Information for the Musicals 520Acknowledgments and Credits 521Illustration Credits 523Index 524
