Stephen Schwartz: Love Him or Hate Him? — Page 2

I really like some of his GODSPELL music (I'm doing the show right now) and enjoy a few of his WORKING songs. I enjoy PIPPIN as well, but as far as CHILDREN OF EDEN and WICKED, I couldn't be bothered - I dislike them both.

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How can I stay silent on a thread like this??

It is obvious that I love SS's work. But I don't feel the urge to impress my preference on anybody. He is as solid a composer as we have today. I don't understand the need to qualify him or compare him to anybody else. I play basketball to compete, I enjoy theater to be entertained and grow as a person. So I love Pippin, Godspell, his non-Broadway work, and Wicked. That is a personal choice that effects me and my family, if it has the same effect on the Broadway culture, so be it, I just hope he continues to write.

I love to see my children respond to the composers I listen to in the car while we are driving places. With kids you can never hide a good song, regardless of the lyrics, a catchy tune never gets by them. They dig SS, along with Rent (screened of course), You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Ragtime, along with other assorted composers. I say let the kids judge for us.

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his "colors of the wind" is an absolutely beautiful song.

Alan Menken wrote the music to "Colors of the Wind" - Schwartz only did the lyrics to "Pocohontas."

Love-hate.

love him, but I loathe his idiotic spawn.

what i always wonder: why doesn't he write any new stuff??

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Since he went to the same HS as me (years earlier), I have to kind of like him - lol

Since I posted my comments, years ago, a few things have changed! I got to sing in the large chorus for "Just No Time At All" on the PIPPIN revival recording. He was there and was so much fun and was so excited that he re-wrote the ending a bit, on the spot, out of excitement. I have also had the chance to meet him and be around him on a few occasions. Very nice man. Also, after posting my comments I came to my own conclusion as to why he may have walked out of the Tony's that year. I may have also if I were nominated.

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I really love most of his work. Sure, some of it sounds a bit dated (Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, Working), but in the cases of Godspell and Pippin (both very much products of their time), what I don't find especially appealing on CD, I really love on stage in context of the show. The Magic Show has a terrible book, but I think the original score was fantastic (the later revisions really crippled the entire show). I like Children of Eden, but I'm not wild about it. Like Wicked (to me, Wicked most resembles Children of Eden in style from his catalog of work), I think it has a handful of great and effective songs and the rest is serviceable at best. The Baker's Wife is an interesting anomaly. It contains what I consider to be two of the most beautiful songs ever written for musical theatre, Meadowlark and Chanson (the latter of which can move me to tears from its joyous melody and lyrics). I saw the recent revised Working in Chicago and was unimpressed by the whole thing. Neither good nor bad, just completely bland and unmemorable. Now, I will admit I haven't heard EVERYTHING he's written (like Captain Louie, Mit Eventyr, Nouveau, Schikaneder, Seance on a Wet Afternoon, Whatserface) and though I heard them once or twice, I can't remember a thing about Geppetto, his contributions to Personals and Prince of Egypt. But of what I've heard from Schwartz, I find him to be a strong and capable composer for the most part and I really love many of his songs.

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Wicked is feminist nonsense

I just felt it was a stupid story about witches. And only a feminist would like it