Don’t stop the music
You never know when inspiration may strike, or why. Just ask Stephen Schwartz. Years ago, the famous lyricist and composer, known for his hit musicals “Godspell” and “Pippin,” was on a snorkeling trip when a friend told him about a book with an interesting spin on the classic “The Wizard of Oz.” “I just thought that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard in my life, and I have to get back to the mainland and get the rights, and I don’t know why,” said Schwartz. Ultimately, he turned the Gregory Maguire novel that turns the story on its head, telling it from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, into the Broadway megahit musical “Wicked.” Schwartz participated in a conversation on Tuesday (Nov. 30) at Club Oberon along with Diane Paulus, artistic director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). The discussion, one of a longtime A.R.T. series involving performers, directors, producers,...