Stephen Schwartz new musical is about...

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:46am

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

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:47am

"The next Hamilton?"

You're joking, right?

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:53am

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

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:55am

what a fantastic comment, neonlight, thanks.

and no I'm not joking. you might not know that Schwartz wrote a little musical called Wicked that some people like.

and I am comparing his new show to Hamilton because they are both set around the same time period. (1780-1805)

..

Updated On: 5/6/15 at 09:55 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:59am

I genuinely didn't know if you were serious. So to answer your question: no. Not the next Hamilton.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 10:03am

If anyone had talked in very early days about Hamilton and quipped "the next Wicked?"  you can be sure someone might have responded, "You're joking, right?"

But here I think the response is more that some find it as difficult to envision a musical mega-hit about Emanuel Shikaneder as they.....

well as they might of one about Alexander Hamilton.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 10:05am

It's not the subject matter I have a problem with. I don't think Stephen Schwartz is as talented as Lin is. But okay.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 10:34am

I've got a better working title: The Flying SH*T, and Who Didn't Give One.

[darquegk]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 10:48am

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.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:18am

and no I'm not joking. you might not know that Schwartz wrote a little musical called Wicked that some people like.

He also wrote Seance On A Wet Afternoon....

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:19am

"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.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:24am

Stop putting words in people's mouths Roxy.

Especially since you have everyone you're talking about blocked.

 

[bigbelterbaby]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:32am

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.

[philly03]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 11:35am

I remember reading an Alan Menken (?) interview a few years ago, and apparently Stephen Schwartz, Alan Menken, Frank Wildhorn and Jim Steinmen all live in the same CT neighbhorhood... There's my random fun fact.

 

Musical theatre is so global now (huge markets in Asia, decent size market in Europe), why would these composers not go over there to get their work produced? A musical based on these two starring in a Mozart piece is best suited for Austria. Similar to Wildhorn's Rudolf musical; that would never get picked up over here but doesn't mean he shouldn't write it if doesn't want to. 

Also, generally speaking, the actual production values/elements are much better over there for a composer: a lot of theatres have choirs employed, much larger orchestras, etc. 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:09pm

"I see now"

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

[Fantod]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:28pm

Was the Houdini musical cancelled? I just thought Hugh Jackman dropped out.

[tazber]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:32pm

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

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:34pm

This new musical sound eerily like a Wildhorn show with its opening in Vienna no less. It does not sound like a commercially viable project for Broadway. Maybe it could play for the less disconcerting hicks in Europe.

Would love to be a fly on the wall if these guys ever got together to chew the fat. It would be a very interesting conversation.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 12:42pm

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

[philly03]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 1:10pm

VWB, the musical producer giant in Vienna, also commissions tons of works: Rudolf - The Last Kiss (Wildhorn and Nan Knighton, who eventually left to work on Camille Claudel when the project got picked up in the 00s) and Elisabeth (Michael Kunze and Slyvester Levay, writers of Rebecca) were up for the same one about the Hapsburgs around 1990, and Elisabeth became their biggest success story, obviously.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was a commissioned project.

[Spotlight61]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 1:19pm

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.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 1:21pm

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.

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.

[philly03]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 1:34pm

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.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 1:43pm

"I've got a better working title: The Flying SH*T, and Who Didn't Give One."

 HA!

[jv92]

Posted: 5/6/15 at 2:33pm

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.