The latest issue of “The Schwartz Scene” quarterly newsletter for Stephen Schwartz fans is now posted. You’ll find news of a new song and concert, “Godspell” on Broadway and “Wicked” updates, and insights on Mr. Schwartz’s working process. Here’s the link: http://www.theschwartzscene.com/quarterly-newsletter/issue-45/

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Godspell is now up-and-running Day by Day at Broadway’s Circle on the Square Theatre!

The revival is helmed by Daniel Goldstein, who directed the critically acclaimed Paper Mill Playhouse production in 2006. This is the 40th Anniversary production and first ever Broadway revival.

Click here for Official Broadway Website www.godspell.com

For futher information:

http://www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell-broadway.htm

Here’s a sampling of one of the Question and Answers sessions she found in the archive:

Question:
Do you think management of creativity is possible?

Answer from Stephen Schwartz:
Absolutely. I think the job of a professional writer is to learn how to harness his or her creativity in service of deadlines, specific problems to be solved, and deliberate goals. Each individual has to develop his or her own process to be able to be creative on demand.

Enjoy your time looking through the STEPHEN SCHWARTZ FORUM ARCHIVES!

Disney’s My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto’s Musical Tale

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by David Stern

Two Acts, Book Musical, Rated G

The classic tale of an aging toymaker and his puppet, Pinocchio, takes on timely issues in Disney’s My Son Pinocchio. Grammy Award-winner and master melodist Stephen Schwartz adds a compelling score of original songs to the beloved classics “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “I’ve Got No Strings.” Join the Blue Fairy, Stromboli and a lively cast of characters as Geppetto journeys beyond the Toy Shop to discover what makes the “perfect child.”

This family-friendly musical is appropriate for all audiences and is a magical mix of heartwarming fairytale and action-packed adventure. Audiences will love following Pinocchio’s journey from an awkward wooden puppet to a real, live boy and will be charmed by Geppetto’s transformation from demanding creator to a real, live father.

For more information and licensing:

“My Son Geppetto” Music Theatre International Listing

Photo by Michael Cole

Now in its seventh year on Broadway, ‘Wicked’ became the first show to gross $2 million in eight shows.

Wicked became the only Broadway show in history to gross more than $2 million for a single week of performances, bringing in $2,086,135 for the week ending November 29, 2009. The smash-hit musical topped its own previous record of $1,839,950, set in December 2007, and set a new house record for the Gershwin Theatre.

“Wicked” features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman.

For more information on “Wicked” see the official site at www.wickedthemusical.com and the Stephen Schwartz fan site “Wicked” pages at
www.musicalschwartz.com/wicked.htm

Stephen Schwartz and John Ondrasik (of Five for Fighting) have penned a couple of tunes together. Five for Fighting’s latest album is titled “Slice”: the title song was co-written by the duo.

Five For Fighting’s “SLICE” CD on Amazon.com

(from Five for Fighting’s Myspace page):

If every album provides snapshots of where an artist’s mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroids. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It’s a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums.

The title track, featuring Ondrasik’s soaring falsetto, comes from a daydream that we’ve all had at some point in our lives-that moment when we long for a simpler time when life seemed better and the songs were bigger. It’s a sly play on one of those grand songs, Don McClean’s “American Pie”: “There was a time a long, long time ago/Chevies and levies played on the radio/No cell phones just 20,000 lights, swaying on a Saturday night.”

Academy Award-winning composer Steven Schwartz (who penned the songs for acclaimed musicals such as Wicked, Godspell and Pippin), helped Ondrasik bring the idea to fruition, co-writing “Slice” (as well as the song “Above the Timberline”). “We sat down at a coffee shop to talk about writing together,” says Ondrasik, ” I told him about my idea for ‘Slice,” and ‘American Pie’ actually came on the radio. It was surreal. Stephen immediately wrote the first two lines on a napkin, and we were off and running.

“I’ve been a fan of Five for Fighting since I first heard ‘Superman’,” says Schwartz, “and then was blown away by ‘100 Years.’ I got the full CDs and was really impressed by John Ondrasik’s writing-great tunes and smart and surprising lyrics. So naturally I didn’t hesitate a moment when John asked me to co-write a couple of songs with him. It was, as I expected, great collaborating with him-experiencing first-hand his musicality and gift for melody, his incisive way with words, and the passion and care he puts into each of his songs.”