Stephen Schwartz News

After breaking box office records and selling out in record time in 2009, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre July 18-August 26. Tickets for the return engagement go on sale Friday, May 11 at 10am. Part of Zions Bank Broadway Across America - Utah.

The new, highly provocative TV commercial for this season's smash hit, SILENCE! The Musical, is set to being airing today on most major networks. SILENCE! The Musical, the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with book by Hunter Bell, music & lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan, and direction & choreography by Christopher Gattelli, opened July 9, 2011 to unanimous rave reviews. The show immediately became a sold-out phenomenon and was recently selected by Time Magazine as one of the year's Top 5 Musicals.

At last night's Grammy Awards, musicians and singers marked the loss of one of the music industry's greatest entertainers of all time, Whitney Houston, who died Saturday night in her hotel room at the Beverly Hills Hilton. One of the evening's most stirring moments came as Jennifer Hudson, who has called the late singer an inspiration and one of her biggest idols, performed Houston's signature song, 'I Will Always Love You.'

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 12, 2012 - Sunday, February 12, 2012.

In 1998, composer Stephen Schwartz wrote 'When You Believe,' performed by Houston and Mariah Carey for the DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt. The song was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song in March 1999. 'Stephen Schwartz is a genius,' Houston said in an interview that year. 'Just a beautiful song.'

The entire entertainment world is reeling. We have lost one of our most iconic pop, R&B and soundtrack performers this evening - as well as a formidable movie star in her own right - Whitney Houston was just reported dead at the age of 48. Having had one of the most successful and most multimedia of careers of any multi-hyphenate star in recent memory, Houston scored multiple Grammys and racked up countless nominations over the course of her multi-decade recording career, yet her most notable contributions to the world of music reside in her outstanding soundtrack work - most of all, the songs for the film in which she made the transition into feature film leading lady, 1992's THE BODYGUARD. The biggest hit from THE BODYGUARD's blockbuster soundtrack was undoubtedly Houston's rendition of a Dolly Parton song originally recorded in 1974 and later made famous by Parton in the feature film version of the Broadway hit THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, "I Will Always Love You". In addition to Houston's sensational work on that mega-selling soundtrack - one of the Top 5 best-selling soundtracks of all time - she also provided her dramatic and vocal skills to the multi-platinum soundtracks to THE PREACHER'S WIFE and WAITING TO EXHALE, both films which she also starred in to much box office success. An Oscar-winning duet with Mariah Carey, "When You Believe" by WICKED's Stephen Schwartz from THE PRINCE OF EGYPT is yet another diadem in Houston's triple crown of accomplishments in the realms of music, film and television - having dominated all. Theatre fans may know Houston best for her incomparable portrayal of the Fairy Godmother in the incredibly successful 1997 ABC TV adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA starring Brandy and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. In addition to Houston's contributions to THE BODYGUARD, THE PREACHER'S WIFE, WAITING TO EXHALE, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT and CINDERELLA, Houston also rose to fame early in her career for her rendition of "Home" from THE WIZ on THE Merv Griffin SHOW, as well as made a mark with a Cissy Houston duet on the CHESS international smash, "I Know Him So Well" on her second hit album. The last project Houston was working on prior to her death on Saturday night was the feature film musical SPARKLE, co-starring AMERICAN IDOL winner and Broadway standout Jordin Sparks. SPARKLE reportedly completed production of principal photography and soundtrack sessions, though it is not clear when the musical remake will now be released in light of Houston's unexpected death. No matter the circumstances of her life and death, Whitney Houston most surely left a legacy that will never be forgotten by those that adored her for her vast multitude of talents and many notable accomplishments in all areas of entertainment.

Worldwide smash musical Wicked is set to open at Austin's Bass Concert Hall on January 25, and its Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Don Amendolia, took the time to answer a few questions for BroadwayWorld.

Alice Lidelle is a high school senior who loves the band 'The Red Queen' and dislikes a homework assignment from her teacher, Miss Turtle. She attends the concert and meets the band's manager and is sent spiraling down, down, down into a topsy-turvy world.

The Music Theatre Company, Highland Park's Equity theatre, announced its spring production of Pippin by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson, directed and choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Jessica Redish. The production will run March 22 - May 6, 2012 at The Music Theatre Company located in the Karger Center, 1850 Green Bay Road in Highland Park.

The winner of the 2012 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater was announced today by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which administers the Rodgers Awards.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company, the Mid-South's professional classical theatre, features legendary Broadway composer Charles Strouse in performance for its Third Annual Valentine's Gala on Friday, February 10 at 6:00 pm at Germantown Performing Arts Centre.

Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return for a fourth engagement at the Buell Theatre April 11-May 20. Tickets for the return engagement are now on sale at www.denvercenter.org or by calling 303.893.4100.

Christian Youth Theater (CYT) Kansas City North proudly presents ALICE: A WONDER FULL NEW MUSICAL,Thursday, February 9 - Sunday, February 12 at YouthFront Auditorium, 4715 Rainbow Blvd., Shawnee Mission, KS 66205.

Alice Lidelle is a high school senior who loves the band 'The Red Queen' and dislikes a homework assignment from her teacher, Miss Turtle. She attends the concert and meets the band's manager and is sent spiraling down, down, down into a topsy-turvy world.

On Thursday, February 16, 2012, the company of Broadway's revival of Stephen Schwartz's rock musical GODSPELLwill welcome the musical director and conductor of the original Broadway production -- 'Late Show with David Letterman' musical director Paul Shaffer -- in a special cameo appearance.

Victoria Clark, Brian D'Arcy James, Sutton Foster, Kellli O'Hara and Rebecca Luker are among the Broadway stars who will be featured on 'Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullay Project', a two-CD set which will be released this spring as a fund raising project for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Young Survival Coalition.

Last night, the Broadway revival of GODSPELL celebrated 100 performances. View photos from the celebration below!

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more! For last week's biggest events: visit THIS WEEK IN PICTURES: January 21-27.

Broadway's new revival of Stephen Schwartz's legendary rock musical GODSPELL will be featured on Lifetime Television's acclaimed reality competition 'Project Runway All Stars.'

A Conversation with Michael Lluberes, Playwright of the upcoming musical The Boy in the Bathroom