| 'Wicked in Concert' underscores the magic and music of Stephen Schwartz | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 01:38 pm EDT 08/30/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 01:36 pm EDT 08/30/21 | |
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| For me, ''Wicked in Concert'' and Luke Frazier's new arrangements were a salute to Stephen Schwartz. He deserves to be even more celebrated as a Broadway wizard of words and music. As wildly popular as ''Wicked'' has proven to be, it shouldn't be forgotten that it opened to mixed reviews nearly 2 decades ago. Ben Brantley in the N.Y. Times then dismissed its score as ''generic.'' I, for one, get so much more from Schwartz's songs, starting with the witty wordplay in his lyrics. In "I'm Not That Girl,'' Elphaba sings: ''Blithe smile, lithe limb. She who's winsome, she wins him.'' In ''The Wizard and I,'' Schwartz refers to Munchkins as being ''small-minded,'' and then has Elphaba envision a celebration in Oz over her where ''I'd be so happy, I could melt.'' And in ''Popular,'' I love his dazzling triple rhyme: ''Don't be offended by my frank ANALYSIS. Think of it as personality DIALYSIS. Now that I've chosen to become A PAL, A SIS-ter and adviser.'' As for Schwartz's music, it soars in ''Defying Gravity'' and so many others, and their melodies are so mellifluous, as in ''I'm Not That Girl'' and ''For Good.'' To especially appreciate the score, I recommend reading ''Wicked's Web of Musical Themes'' by Carol de Giere, author of ''Defying Gravity,'' Schwartz's definitive bio (linked below). In this article, Schwartz reveals how his ''Wicked'' work was inspired by Jule Styne's use of musical motifs in ''Gypsy'' and ''Funny Girl.'' And he points out that ''Wicked'' is home to many homages to Harold Arlen, who wrote the score to ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). For instance, Schwartz's ''Unlimited'' melody incorporates the first seven notes of ''Over the Rainbow,'' and that's ''Wicked'' clever. |
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| Link | MusicalsSchwartz.com: 'Wicked's' Web of Musical Themes (by Carol de Giere) |
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