Stephen Schwartz new musical is about...

Emanuel Schikaneder and his wife Eleonore. The musical will be called " Emanuel and Eleonore " and is described as a musical comedy about their turbulent marriage, around the years Emanuel wrote the book for and performed in Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

Thoughts? The next Hamilton? Emanuel and Eleonore will premiere in Vienna in 2016, directed by Trevor Nunn.

http://playbill.com/news/article/stephen-schwartz-details-next-project-a-new-musical-about-mozarts-librettist-348389

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Updated On: 5/6/15 at 09:46 AM

Yeah... because his last work, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, was such a massive success. Right? LOL

Schwartz has written three mega-hit shows that will be perennials for years to come. It'd be a shame if he goes out as another Wildhorn, writing for a less discerning and competitive foreign market never to really shoot for Broadway success again.

But then again, he doesn't have to. He could live off Godspell alone, Pippin is having a huge return to popularity, and as soon as Wicked hits licensing he could buy a cruise ship like a lesser composer would buy a houseboat.

"Less discerning" is a nice way of saying stupid . I see now that if someone does not like what the elite on the board likes they are branded as stupid.

OK carry on.

Every musical writer has their flops, not every show is a hit. and I agree with the comment above about the material, I mean who would have thought a musical about the life of alison bechdel would be so good?

and I don't know why you are bringing up Seance anyway because that is an opera.

"I see now"

He sees it now? He's been whining about this for YEARS.

No, Schwartz said he was moving on. I think playbill.com carried that interview.

I LIKED his opera. A lot. And I think he's a vastly talented guy. He has a MUCH keener theatrical sense than Wildhorn, and I'd rather bask in his sometimes clunky cleverness than the banal sh*t for lyrics that Wildhorn songs have.

He COULD probably start the Stephen Schwartz Cruise Line when WICKED is released into the stock and amateur world, which is scary, but good for him.

The only thing that depresses me about this annoucement is the news that Trevor Nunn, who has no feeling WHATSOEVER for the American Musical or how to direct one, is attached to direct.

Updated On: 5/6/15 at 12:42 PM

Oh dear Trevor Nunn, that's a worry!

There was a time when Nunn had the midas touch. However, his last directed musical 'Gone With The Wind' was a disaster.

Or is this new production an opera? Seance was an opera. So I don't think its right to call it a flop as it was destined for a different audience than the populist musical theatre audience.

Given the subject matter, it does seem that it will be more opera based than musical theatre.

So Nunn may be the right choice.

I'll also give Nunn **some** credit for Gone with the Wind. Writing with a first time composer who was also the lyricist (first time) who was also the book writer (first time) with not complete knowledge of the three, and having to take a mammoth novel loaded with narration, he had some good ideas (some lovingly ripped from John Caird's Jane Eyre!). That score was completely lackluster (except for maybe 2 or 3 songs, including the title song I rather enjoyed) and if you thought Zhivago dragged.... you know nothing of GWTW.

By "American Musical", do you mean a musical with an American composer? I mean, this particular musical is about Europeans for a European production, so I'm not sure why Nunn is such a bad choice. The man did direct three of the longest-running musicals in the world and it's not as if his Night Music was universally panned."

Yes. Although, I'm only judging his work on American-bred musicals from the revivals of NIGHT MUSIC and OKLAHOMA!. OKLAHOMA! was saved by a fascinating performance by Shuler Hensley and some good choreography (I only saw it on B'way), but felt heavy-handed and joyless otherwise. And so did A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. Just because his work on the latter show wasn't universally panned doesn't mean that it was a slow-moving, badly lit, ugly bore (again with two saving graces-- Alexander Hanson and Angela Lansbury). It lacked all the bubble and fun that NIGHT MUSIC needs. It isn't TOTALLY Chekhovian. For me, at least.

I just think his work is heavy-handed and joyless, from what I've seen. I still am excited to hear a new Schwartz score.