Defying Gravity

Defying Gravity

Author: Carol de Giere

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-10-01

Total Pages: 640

ISBN-13: 1540043711

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Stephen Schwartz is among the rare American composer-lyricists whose Broadway musicals have inspired passionate followings, resulting in blockbuster hits like Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin. In the revised and updated second edition of Defying Gravity, biographer Carol de Giere reveals how Schwartz’s beloved musicals came to life, adding four new chapters that shed light on the continuing Wicked phenomenon and exciting projects that include stage adaptations of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Alan Menken and The Prince of Egypt. A popular feature of the first edition remains intact for the second: the story of Schwartz’s commercially unsuccessful shows, how he coped, and how he gave himself another chance. The new edition also features an acclaimed series of “Creativity Notes” with insights about the creative process. Wicked enthusiasts are treated to a revealing, in-depth account of the show’s evolution that takes readers from developmental workshops, to the pre-Broadway tryout in San Francisco, through the arguments over changes for Broadway, and finally to productions around the world. Movie musical fans know that Disney’s pairing of Stephen Schwartz (for lyrics) with composer Alan Menken (for music) led to award-winning movie musicals “Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Enchanted. Menken’s revelatory “Foreword” that introduces the second edition of Defying Gravity explores their “wonderful chemistry” and creative challenges. The abundance of behind-the-scenes stories in this Stephen Schwartz biography came by way of the author’s unprecedented access to this legendary songwriter for interviews. She also drew from conversations with his family members, friends, and colleagues (librettists, composers, directors, producers, and actors) to render a rich portrait of this complex and gifted artist. She rounds out the book with photographs, Schwartz’s handwritten notes, and highlighted quotations. Performers and others involved in productions of Godspell, Pippin, Children of Eden, Working, Rags, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, will discover the intentions of the shows’ creators. Singers, writers, fans, and anyone interested in the development of stage and film musicals will enjoy multiple insights from this backstage journey, from Godspell to Wicked, and beyond.


Breaking the Godspell

Breaking the Godspell

Author: Neil Freer

Publisher: Book Tree

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 9781885395368

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In BREAKING THE GODSPELL, "It is gratifying that Neil Freer has set out to probe what the recognition of the existence and Earth-visits of the Nefilim can mean not just to scientists and theologians, but to each human being upon this planet Earth". Zecharia Sitchin, author of The 12th Planet.


All for the Best

All for the Best

Author: Andrew Martin

Publisher:

Published: 2011-11

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 9781593936778

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The Off-Broadway hit musical Godspell became a worldwide cultural phenomenon in 1972 when, just over a year after its award-winning emergence on stages around the world and with the Top 20 Billboard hit "Day by Day," Columbia Pictures decided to film and release it on the silver screen across the globe. In the process, it created cinematic history for its use of locations around New York City (including the then-unfinished World Trade Center) and, at the same time, accomplished the nearly-impossible by taking a small stage show one that had been originally created as a college thesis and unleashing it upon a world of moviegoers who have since continued to embrace it as one of the greatest musical hits of all time, as well as a celebrated Easter special and a score that will live forever. Film historian Andrew Martin has captured every step of the show's journey, from school play to an indelible part of modern culture, and depicts in glowing detail all the highs and lows of a production that will always live on in the hearts and minds of all who watch and enjoy. Featuring interviews with composer Stephen Schwartz, producer Edgar Lansbury, and star Victor Garber, besides all of the film's surviving co-stars and key players from the creative team, this impossible-to-put-down story of "the little show that could" is certain to bewitch the reader from the very first sentence. About the Author ANDREW MARTIN is an award-winning writer and entertainer who, for over thirty years, has been an actor/singer/dancer on stage as well as film and television, an entertainment journalist for news in print, broadcast and Internet sources, a standup comedian and cabaret singer, and film historian. All for the Best is his first published book. He currently resides in his native New York City.


Godspell

Godspell

Author: Stephen Schwartz

Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780793566853

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(Easy Piano Songbook). 11 vocal selections from this timeless musical, including: All Good Gifts * Bless the Lord * By My Side * Day by Day * Light of the World * Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord) * Turn Back, O Man * and more.


A Stranger in the House of God

A Stranger in the House of God

Author: John Koessler

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2009-08-30

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0310864216

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Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith


Playing God

Playing God

Author: Henry Bial

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2015-08-20

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 0472052926

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A fascinating look at how the Bible has inspired Broadway plays and musicals, from Ben-Hur to Jesus Christ Superstar


The Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations

The Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations

Author: Dominic McHugh

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-06-14

Total Pages: 690

ISBN-13: 019005154X

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Hollywood's conversion to sound in the 1920s created an early peak in the film musical, following the immense success of The Jazz Singer. The opportunity to synchronize moving pictures with a soundtrack suited the musical in particular, since the heightened experience of song and dance drew attention to the novelty of the technological development. Until the near-collapse of the genre in the 1960s, the film musical enjoyed around thirty years of development, as landmarks such as The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, Singin' in the Rain, and Gigi showed the exciting possibilities of putting musicals on the silver screen. The Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations traces how the genre of the stage-to-screen musical has evolved, starting with screen adaptations of operettas such as The Desert Song and Rio Rita, and looks at how the Hollywood studios in the 1930s exploited the publication of sheet music as part of their income. Numerous chapters examine specific screen adaptations in depth, including not only favorites such as Annie and Kiss Me, Kate but also some of the lesser-known titles like Li'l Abner and Roberta and problematic adaptations such as Carousel and Paint Your Wagon. Together, the chapters incite lively debates about the process of adapting Broadway for the big screen and provide models for future studies.


Changed for Good

Changed for Good

Author: Stacy Wolf

Publisher: OUP USA

Published: 2011-07-07

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 0195378237

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In this lively book, Stacy Wolf illuminates the women of American musical theater--performers, creators, and characters--from the start of the cold war to the present day, creating a new feminist history of the genre. Moving from decade to decade, Wolf highlights the assumptions that circulated about gender and sexuality at the time and then looks at the leading musicals, stressing the aspects of the plays that relate to women. The musicals discussed here are among the most beloved in the canon--"West Side Story," "Guys & Dolls," "Cabaret," and many others--with special emphasis on "Wicked."


Thank you, Judge Mostert!

Thank you, Judge Mostert!

Author: Carmel Rickard

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2012-09-27

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0143527754

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Anton Mostert was one of South Africa's youngest judges when he was appointed to head a commission of inquiry into exchange control regulations in 1978. His inquiry, seemingly innocuous, unearthed what was at that time the greatest political scandal in the country's history - massive corruption in the department of information. In defiance of warnings by Prime Minister PW Botha not to disclose his findings, Mostert released all the evidence that had been led before him, exposing some of the most powerful men in the country and effectively changing history. The title of this book, Thank You, Judge Mostert! is taken from the inscription which appeared overnight on bumper stickers all over South Africa in the weeks following Judge Anton Mostert's revelations of the Information Scandal. This overt, spontaneous outburst of public appreciation and support requires history to be retold - for this is the story of a principled and courageous judge who not only fiercely fought for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in South Africa, but who also fearlessly confronted the Afrikaner executive at a critical juncture in South Africa's history.