does any one else find it odd that.....

[gravity87]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 6:27pm

does any one else find it odd that stephen schwartz has never won a tony? ne one no why/why not based on who he was up against in the years he was nominated. Thanks. Just my General Curiosity case I think hes amazing

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 6:29pm

Generally the show's he's been against were better. I'm not a fan of his, but I think some of his greatest work is in WORKING.

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 7:21pm

I actually really enjoyed Wicked's score. However, I haven't heard Avenue Q so I can't judge.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 7:25pm

Mr. Schwartz's work is merely OK. I think Pippin is his only show that I can honestly say I flat out like. His music is rather pedestrian and features little uniqueness or even sophistication for that matter. I find it very strange that Alan Menken didn't win a Tony for Beauty and the Beast. The show is questionable for Best Musical but its score standing alone is one of the BEST ever written. Hopefully he'll get it for Little Mermaid whenever that materializes (if it does).

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 7:30pm

I thought Wicked had a really unique sound, cause that's what he wanted. I dunno, I'm probably just biased cause' Wicked is my favorite show! And yes, I do like others.

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 7:32pm

Pippin is one of my favorite shows. I love the music, but it didnt stand a chance agains A little Night Music, which is considered one of Sondheim's best shows. As for Wicked, while there are a few good songs, Defying Gravity, No Good Deed, For Good, it is not a consistant score. There are a lot of mediocre to bad songs in the show. Avenue Q is has a solid score. Every song is solid and cleaver.

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 7:54pm

Ugh..I can't STAND working....we did it at my local community theatre and it was THE worst show I have ever seen there. It was prob'ly just the actors and stuff, but it was SO god awful that it's turned me against it forever.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 8:35pm

Save for "The Baker's Wife", I find most of his work highly mediocre. I do enjoy "Wicked", but for other reasons.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 9:11pm

I don't find it odd at all. The Tony is for best music AND lyrics and as long as the music and lyrics remain in the same category and as long as Shwartz refuses to have an assistant lyricist he will most likely never win a Tony award.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 9:13pm

I've never been the least bit impressed with his music. But I have a couple of friends in the business who swear that his music makes so much more sense when sung out of context. (meaning in a cabaret or review of some sort) The books DO tend to weigh the songs down.

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 9:55pm

I completly agree. The books of all his shows are horrible.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 9:59pm

I actually find the "Wicked" book quite funny...mostly because all the funny lines are from Gregory Maguire's novel.

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 10:39pm

Yes there are a few funny one liners in Wicked-but there are a lot of serious flaws in the book. Most of the characters are very underdeveloped and all the deeper themes that made the novel so good were cut from the musical

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 11:09pm

The song "Meadowlark" is brilliant. I will give him that.

And I think Children of Eden is actually his best show.

CatieElphie- While I TOTALLY understand where you're coming from with the whole "hating a show because you've seen it done badly" thing, you should give Working another shot. It's actually got some great material in it... although most of the great stuff isn't Stephen Schwartz's...

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 11:20pm

I love WORKING. The music is wonderful. The book is good, but it's very dry and often boring and random. It's just not a show that appeals to big audiences - and that's why it ran for 25 performances, but I love the score. I was in this show a few years ago, and it was so great to learn that tough score and perform it every night - it made us all so happy. The score is quite difficult!

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 2/5/05 at 11:43pm

"The Mason" is a masterpiece...

[coalhouse]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 12:01am

I only discovered recently that Craig Carnelia wrote the better, quater of WORKING. And it didn't suprise me one bit.

Not to say, shwartz hasn't produced good work in the past. But there's something said, when another composer's work outshine's the main focus of his own material. Updated On: 2/6/05 at 12:01 AM

[Derech2]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 12:16am

I've never actually seen any shows with a Schwartz score, so my only experience with any of his work is through the music, if that makes sense. Of course most everyone who has seen Wicked raves about, but I'm still trying to figure out if it's because of the actual show or the music. I adore the music, and say I love Wicked because of the music, and I don't think I'm being short-sighted because I listen to an enormous variety of shows, and music period.

I've heard Children of Eden and wasn't too impressed. Some of my favorite songs are in Prince of Egypt, but I'm not sure what exactly in that movie is his vs. Hans Zimmer. I think its equally amazing that Schwartz can write such fitting lyrics to his own music.

So, yes, I guess I am saying that I think it's odd that he hasn't won a Tony ... because if everyone else enjoyed his music as much as I do, he definitely would.

Updated On: 2/6/05 at 12:16 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 12:17am

I don't find anything odd....

[ShuQ]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 12:22am

Doesn't seem odd to me. I can always find a few songs I love from his scores but everything else is just kinda blah. And I like him, but it's just not consistent.

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 12:45am

"Wicked"'s songs all sound the same to me. I've never been very impressed with Stephen Schwartz's work, because he doesn't seem to have a wide range of styles. His music doesn't sound very versatile to me; this is kind of hard to explain, but almost every number in "Wicked" just starts off huge and stays that way. Every song stays at one level throughout (and sometimes it sounds like it stays at one note).
The only song I like at all is "I'm Not That Girl," because it doesn't feel like it's forcing me to like it. It kind of feels like most of the score is trying way too hard to win you over. Does that make sense?

[Katecab99]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 2:49am

wow...clearly i'm in the minority, but i love his work.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 3:00am

I'm sure he's enjoying the rewards of a successful 35-year career while the merits of same are debated by the 'cognoscenti'.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:19am

He has an Oscar, though. Doesnt he?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:19am

Damn double post. Updated On: 2/6/05 at 11:19 AM