Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked »

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 1

The Creative Career

Act I - 1948 to 1974

Early Success: Godspell, Pippin, and The Magic Show

1 A Focused Childhood 5

2 Morning Glow: The College Years 15

3 Transitions: Keep Dancing Through 31

4 Godspell Off-Off-Broadway 43

5 Godspell at Cherry Lane 55

6 Godspell Meets Mass and Pippin 67

7 Pippin Comes to Broadway 81

8 The Magic Show Conjures Up a Crowd 107

Act II -1974 to 1991

Downturn: the Baker's Wife, Working, Rags, and Children of Eden

9 The Baker's Wife: Mixed Ingredients 121

10 Working: Help Wanted 145

11 Mid-journey Reflections 175

12 Rags and the 1980s 185

13 Children of Eden: Second Chances 205

Act III -1991 to 2003

A Comeback: Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Prince of Egypt

14 Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame 229

15 Mulan and The Prince of Egypt 249

Wicked

16 Landing in Oz 271

17 Structuring Twists and Turns 279

18 On the Right Track 287

19 Story by Committee 295

20 Somewhere Over the Keyboard 301

21 First Drafts and "Adjustifications" 307

22 We're Off to See a Reading 313

23 Turning Points in Oz 321

24 If We Only Had a Team 333

25 Character Development 349

26 The Countdown Begins 361

27 Shock at First Sight 387

28 Pre-Broadway Summer 401

29 Wicked on Broadway 413

Epilogue: After the Tonys 427

Extras

About an Author and a Songwriter 435

From Idea to Audience: The Odyssey of a Song 441

Godspell Song Stories 457

Updates and New Projects 479

An Enchanted Conversation 491

Workshops and Concerts 497

Wicked Outline by Stephen Schwartz 503

Recordings 511

Notes 514

SelectedBibliography 518

Licensing Information for the Musicals 520

Acknowledgments and Credits 521

Illustration Credits 523

Index 524