Stephen Schwartz: Exclusive Interview

Stephen Schwartz and The Mantle of Awesome.

Coral Drouyn talks to composer / lyricist Stephen Schwartz.

I am an unabashed fanatic where Stephen Schwartz is concerned, so much so that I (tongue in cheek) call Sondheim “The Other Stephen”. Ever since Godspell hit our stages back in the early seventies, and changed our view on the form of the musical forever, Mr Schwartz has given us the gift of fabulous musicals – each one different in its structure and production style. Quite simply, he is an awesome composer and lyricist.

In Melbourne we are lucky to have the fabulous Magnormos, an independent musical theatre company committed to excellence and innovation. Formed in 2002, their premier production was Stephen Schwartz’s “Working”, so it’s not surprising that he is the International Patron of the company.

It’s also not surprising that Magnormos has chosen to do a triptych of Schwartz musicals this September at Melbourne’s stunning Recital Centre. What is surprising is the amount of work and production commitment that has been put into these “One Night Only” concert style performances. It’s staggering, but indicative of Magnormos’s commitment to the pursuit of excellence in every show they do. They don’t ever settle for “near enough.” Godspell and Pippin have already finished, but Monday 23^rd September is the one night only performance of Children of Eden, Schwartz’s take on parent/child relationships, seen through the book of Genesis, from The Creation to Noah and the flood. And guess what? It is Stephen Schwartz’s favourite amongst all his shows. When the man who wrote Wicked tells you his favourite show is one which is normally only seen in community theatre productions, and when there’s a chance to see it in a splendid venue and with a great professional cast, well you simply have to see it, don’t you? If you’re doing something else on Monday night, cancel it. This will be your only chance to see Children of Eden with two terrific music theatre stars. David Harris, brilliant in Miss Saigon and Wicked and terrific most recently in Legally Blonde as Emmett, will play Adam/Noah, and the gorgeous Laura Fitzpatrick, most recently seen as Michelle Phillips in Flowerchildren, will play Eve/ Mama Noah. But this is not a two hander and there’s an all star supporting cast. But wait, there’s more, and it’s a lot better than a free set of steak knives, you get a chance to  see the man himself in an intimate Sunday evening show called Stephen Schwartz :- In Conversation.

When I got the chance to speak to Stephen himself just two days ago he was in NZ, where Wicked opens officially on Saturday night. Stephen will then fly to Melbourne on Sunday morning and be on stage at 5.30 Sunday evening. Incidentally, he says the NZ production of Wicked has one of the very best casts he has ever worked with.)

First I asked him about Children of Eden and whether he was disappointed that it never had a Broadway run. He was philosophical. “Well, you know, not every show is Broadway material, and that’s not even part of my thinking when I’m writing. I’m just writing something that interests and inspires me, that I hope an audience will relate to, and it kind of dictates its own style. The show is big in that it needs a such a huge  chorus of voices. When you start multiplying those voices by equity rates, you realise it’s a very expensive show in running costs, and Broadway is as much about recouping investment as it is about the quality of the show.” Is that why it’s so often done by community theatres, or co-operative companies, I wonder aloud. “Absolutely, and there have been some stunning productions that would be classified as amateur but, in fact, fulfil all the potential of the show. Also, when we did the London production we used entirely different casts for Acts 1 and 2. It took a community production to show us that the show works much better if you have the leads playing double roles, appearing in both acts. It gives a sense of continued journey for the audience with the performers, if not with the characters. But I’m proud of it, it touches something within me. There have been offers for Broadway but there’s always been a rider – ‘pare it back, simplify, do you really need all those chorus members?’ Well, yes, if we didn’t I wouldn’t have written it that way. And why would I compromise the show for a Broadway address when I can go just a couple of miles and see it in a playhouse as it was envisioned.” Mr Schwartz has enormous integrity alongside his phenomenal talent.

We turned to his “In Conversation” show on Sunday afternoon. He tells me it’s not so much a show as a get–together, a chance for him to know the audience on a personal level, and for them to know him. And YES, there will be a piano, and he might just sing (that in itself is a treat) to demonstrate something in a song…but mostly he will answer questions and interact. “I want the format to be pretty casual and intimate. I don’t want to be seen as unapproachable or distant. I just want the guys who see my shows to realise I’m just a guy who does ‘this thing’ ” …. ‘this thing’ being writing some of the most memorable musicals of our time.

So what is he expecting?

“Well I hope we’re going to laugh, and share the music, and I hope I get asked at least one question I have never been asked before.” And what would that question be? He laughs. “Well I don’t know…I haven’t been asked it yet. But tell everybody to come with questions….LOTS of questions.”

I’m writing mine now. See you on Sunday.

Coral’s extended interview with Stephen Schwartz will appear in the November / December  2013 edition of Stage Whispers.

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