Carol De Giere Books

(Applause Books). From his writing of Godspell 's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit musical Wicked and beyond, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked takes readers into the world of the legendary Broadway and film composer-lyricist. In this authorized biography, drawing from her interviews with Schwartz and his collaborators, author Carol de Giere focuses on the behind-the-scenes stories for Schwartz's hits and disappointing flops. Readers will find colorful anecdotes and insights for his licensed musicals Children of Eden , Pippin, Working , and others. Defying Gravity also includes Hollywood stories, beginning with a new foreword by composer Alan Menken. This updated and revised second edition delves into Stephen Schwartz's creative process for the new stage musicals The Hunchback of Notre Dame , The Prince of Egypt , and other shows. It provides additional insights on Schwartz's early work with Leonard Bernstein and his more recent international work on Wicked . It offers additional "Creative Notes" a popular feature of the first edition with comments from Schwartz about overcoming creative blocks, collaboration, and the artistic life.