Stephen Schwartz

Stephen Schwartz is the composer and lyricist of Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked. He had three shows running in New York before he turned 27, and decades later he wrote one of the most successful musicals of the 21st century.

Who is Stephen Schwartz?

Stephen Schwartz was born in New York City on March 6, 1948, and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a drama degree in 1968. Unlike many Broadway songwriters, he usually writes both the music and the lyrics himself.

His key partners have included John-Michael Tebelak, who conceived Godspell, Roger O. Hirson and director Bob Fosse on Pippin, Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book for Wicked, and Alan Menken, with whom he wrote songs for Disney films. His sound draws on 1970s pop, rock, and folk, and his best-known songs are anthems about young people searching for their place in the world, from Corner of the Sky in Pippin to Defying Gravity in Wicked.

Stephen Schwartz's shows in order

Godspell opened Off-Broadway in 1971 and moved to Broadway in 1976. In between came Pippin (1972) and The Magic Show (1974), so by 1974 Schwartz had three hits playing in New York at the same time. The Baker's Wife (1976) closed on its pre-Broadway tour, though its ballad Meadowlark became a cabaret favorite.

On Broadway he went on to Working (1978), adapted from Studs Terkel's book with songs by Schwartz and several other writers, and Rags (1986), for which he wrote lyrics to Charles Strouse's music. Children of Eden (1991) premiered in London, and then came Wicked (2003). Later stage work includes a musical of The Prince of Egypt (2017) and The Queen of Versailles, which starred Kristin Chenoweth on Broadway in 2025.

Legacy, awards, and where to start

Schwartz has won three Academy Awards: two for Pocahontas (1995), for the score and the song Colors of the Wind, and one for When You Believe from The Prince of Egypt (1998). He has also won three Grammy Awards. Surprisingly, he has never won a competitive Tony Award despite six nominations, though the Tonys gave him the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2015. He also wrote two new songs for the second Wicked film, Wicked: For Good (2025).

Most newcomers start with Wicked, and fans of it usually love Pippin next, with its similar hero who wants something more. Godspell is a favorite for school and church groups because it needs only a small cast and a simple set.

Stephen Schwartz: frequently asked questions

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