Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman on the Writing of WICKED

[PalJoey]

A charming, fascinating conversation that really illuminates the process of the creating the musical, which turns ten years old this year.




BWW STAGE TUBE: Dramatists Guild Panel - Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman Talk Writing WICKED

[jv92]

God, ten years. I feel old.

[loliveve]

What an odyssey to get the rights and start the writing process! I am particularly surprised by the fact that Stephen was so captivated by the general idea of the backstory of the wicked witch that he started pursuing the rights without reading the book.

[ARTc3]

That was a great video. Thank you, PalJoey.

[CATSNYrevival]

What an odyssey to get the rights and start the writing process! I am particularly surprised by the fact that Stephen was so captivated by the general idea of the backstory of the wicked witch that he started pursuing the rights without reading the book.

Not really surprised. The musical plays like the only person who actually read the book was the set designer.

[loliveve]

^ I agree that the musical doesn't track the book. I was just surprised that he would so adamantly pursue the rights and shell out the money for the rights to the book without having read any of it. Then again, perhaps he read it by the time he got the rights since it took a couple years.

[Joviedamian]

It was not the book itself that motivated the show, it was the IDEA of the back story, period!

[yankeefan7]

FYI - Stephen Schwartz went to the same HS as me although he is a bunch of years older - lol.

[bwayphreak234]

"Not really surprised. The musical plays like the only person who actually read the book was the set designer."

THANK YOU. I could not agree more. I honestly don't even the musical should be titled the same as the book.

[Someone in a Tree2]

I feel from the super-informative video that Stephen Schwartz seems to be very smart as a play architect and shaper, and somewhat less talented as a songwriter, which is a shame. I feel like the structure of the play WICKED is very sound, and a more consistently gifted composer-lyricist would have made it a work of true greatness.

It's also illuminating how tricky their relationship with Joe Mantello seems to have been. Poor Joe does not come off well at all in their telling.

[fingerlakessinger]

I think the show is exactly what it should be. He took the book, took the basic element of it, expanded on the friendship between the two witches (which made the target audience a lot bigger and much more diverse) and went from there. The show does have a lot of politic undertones. They are not hitting you in the face like some would want it. But they are there. To me, the book was a bore. I like it, but some parts just dragged on. I think the musical flows well. Of course I would add some more stuff from the book into the movie when its made.

[Liza's Headband]

It's not true to the original book. It's true to the original concept. That's about it.

[Someone in a Tree2]

I thought the book was extraordinary, but I'm glad Holzman and Schwartz saw the merit in lining the musical's plot up more closely with the Wizard of Oz movie. I only wish the shoehorning of the 2 plots in the second act could have been done with more grace.

[Wicked Fanatic]

Really enjoyed the video and learned something new that wasn't in the book by Carol de Giere, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from Godspell to Wicked--Why Elphaba wears black. She wears it for the first time in the musical at the Funeral Procession for Dr Dillamond which was a big part of Act 1 in the SF pre-Broadway tryout but got cut. According to Schwartz Joe Mantello did not want it cut because he had a vision for Elphaba's black dress that had been created by Susan Hilferty.

If you want to know more about the problems with Joe Mantello read chapters 27 & 28 in de Giere's book. As Schwartz stated in the book they're both "My way or the highway guys!" and they had many confrontational moments especially during the summer rewrite prior to Broadway.

[hairspraydude1962]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[Playbilly]

I'd say it worked out well for everyone involved.

[bwayphreak234]

Wicked Fanatic - Thank you for sharing. Just ordered the book off Amazon.

[JohnyBroadway]

De giere's book is a fantastic read, and deals greatly with Wicked. But, I feel most of Wickeds problems lie within both Schwartz and Holzman. I'd actually like to see what Linda wolverton could've done with the story.

[HBP]

JohnyBroadway - I just saw that she wrote the script for the upcoming Maleficent.. so that should be interesting.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

The thing that really upsets me is that now there's never going to be a musical of the REAL "Wicked"! I want the darkness, I want G(a)linda to clearly be the antagonist, and, most of all, I WANT ELPHABA TO DIE!

[flyinghighwithwicked]

Loved seeing this, thanks!

[HBP]

I was really looking forward to the mini-series that never came to be. I think Salma Hayek was producing.