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Stephen Schwartz Awards: Oscars, Grammys, Drama Desk, etc.

Stephen Schwartz and his musicals have received dozens of awards over Schwartz's lifetime to date. The composer took home his first two Grammy Awards as represented by the gilded gramophones in March of 1972, shortly after turning twenty-four. The photo below shows him winning his first Oscar in 1996. Check out Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked for more details about this colorful career and award-winning musicals.

Stephen Schwartz Awards Details

Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - Oscars for PocahontasAcademy Awards Photo: Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz receiving Oscars for Pocahontas.

3 OSCARS: Pocahontas (Lyrics by Schwartz) for Best Score and Best Song "Colors of the Wind"; The Prince of Egypt: Best Song "When You Believe"

4 GRAMMYS: Godspell (2 - producer and composer), Pocahontas "Colors of the Wind", Wicked (producer and songwriter for Best Musical Show Album)

4 DRAMA DESK AWARDS: Godspell (Most Promising Composer and Most Promising Lyricist); Working - Director; Wicked - Outstanding Lyrics (also nominated for music)

1 RICHARD RODGERS AWARD: Stephen Schwartz was chosen to be the 12th recipient of the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater. The Award was presented May 9, 2009 in Pittsburgh.

Special Tony Award 2015

Stephen Schwartz is the 2015 recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, an honor bestowed annually to a member of the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. "Stephen's successes span far beyond the Broadway stage through his commitment to fostering the next generation of musical theatre actors, lyricists and composers. We are thrilled to celebrate his countless triumphs with this honor," Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, said.

6 TONY NOMINATIONS: 1973 - Pippin Score

1977 - Godspell - Score

1978 - Two nominations: Working - Book (Musical); Working - Score (shared credit)

1987 - Rags - Score (lyrics)

2004 - Wicked - Score

1 Golden Globe: Best Song written specifically for a Motion Picture or Television -- Winner, 1995 - Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas) - Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz

LONDON: The Laurence Olivier Award - The Baker's Wife nominated was nominated in 1989 for "Musical of the Year

2010 - Theatre Hall of Fame

In Broadway's Gershwin Theatre upstairs lobby, Stephen Schwartz stands beside his name after his induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame, January 25, 2010. Photo by Michael Cole.

Comments by Carol de Giere: His name now appears in gold on the wall of Broadway's Gershwin Theatre, where Wicked has played since 2003. Composer Stephen Schwartz was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame on January 25, 2010. (Photo by Michael Cole.)

This recent induction is a rare honor that Schwartz greatly appreciates. It is reserved for those with five Broadway credits to their name (Schwartz's Broadway credits include Godspell, The Magic Show, Pippin, Rags, Wicked, and Working), whose work on Broadway encompasses at least a quarter of a century, and who are chosen by the membership for the Hall of Fame.

Stephen Schwartz Lifetime Achievement Awards

  • Distinguished Visiting Artist award Wright State University (2013)
  • Melpomai Award (2012)
  • ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award (2011)
  • Richard Rodgers Award (2009)
  • Wayne State Apple Award (2006)
  • Goodspeed Musicals (2006)
  • New England Theatre Conference (2006)
  • Kaufman Center Honors (2004)
  • MAC Board of Governor's Award (2003)
  • Paper Mill Playhouse (2000)
  • ASCAP Foundation President's Award (1999)
  • Southeastern Theatre Conference (1997)
  • Oscar Hammerstein Award (1997)
  • Emerson College (1987)

Stephen Schwartz Theatre Hall of FameTheatre Hall of Fame Induction

PHOTO: In Broadway's Gershwin Theatre upstairs lobby, Stephen Schwartz stands beside his name after his induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame, January 25, 2010. Photo by Michael Cole.

Written for The Schwartz Scene newsletter, Winter 2010, by Carol de Giere

At long last Stephen Schwartz has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. This is a rare honor, first of all, because the potential group of inductees is small. Recipients must have at least five Broadway credits to their name. They can be actors, playwrights, designers, directors and producers whose work on Broadway encompasses at least a quarter of a century.

Each year a few individuals are selected by a group of Broadway critics and industry people to join the some 400 of their peers in having their names in raised gold letters adorn the rotunda walls at Broadway’s Gershwin Theater. This years list included Jim Dale, Charles Ludlam, John McMartin, Ted Mann, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Schwartz, Roger Berlind and Lynn Redgrave.

At the evening event, emcee, Pia Lindstrom (the daughter of Ingrid Bergman), introduced various speakers. Andrew Lloyd Webber was not in attendance but others were. Wicked producers David Stone and Marc Platt stepped up to induct Mr. Schwartz, and praised him for contributing his time to the profession and to young people in seminars. The following is from an article by Christopher Rawson of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

[Stone and Platt] also noted the “simple humanity” at the core of his music, its “journey to love and truth,” and said that Mr. Schwartz is “the only composer in the history of Broadway to have three shows that have had runs longer than 1,900 performances each.”

Mr. Schwartz, 61, talked about growing up on Long Island when “many of the names on these walls” made him want to go into theater. He thanked them and many in the audience of theater veterans for “giving me a dream and helping it come true.”

Schwartz formulated his dream of writing musical scores when he was a nine-year-old child watching a Broadway show for the first time. After writing four original shows in college, he had expectations for a successful career. He naturally hoped that his contribution would be acknowledged by his peers. He missed out on Tony Awards, and his work was often dismissed by critics. This recent induction is therefore a special honor that Schwartz greatly appreciates.

Songwriters Hall of Fame

Tony Award nominees Stephen Schwartz, best known for smash stage hits including Wicked, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 18, 2009. The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by Johnny Mercer, Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The organization works to educate the public about the work of great songwriters, producing a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Note that sometimes Mr. Schwartz's name is misspelled Steven Schwartz rather than Stephen Schwartz.

About Grammy recordings, etc.

ALL GRAMMY NOMINATED ALBUMS FOR 2004:

Wicked CD, Original Broadway Cast Recording Wicked CD - Buy it or hear sound clips Original Broadway cast recording for the musical Wicked: $13.49 (List price $18.98). | Read all about the Wicked cast album - feature articles, song history, musical analysis, reviews

Avenue Q, Original Broadway Cast RecordingAvenue Q cast album - Buy it or hear sound clips

Boy from Oz, Original Broadway Cast RecordingBoy from Oz - buy or hear sound clips

Wonderful Town, Original Broadway Cast RecordingWonderful Town - buy or hear sound clips

Assassins cast album - buy or hear sound clips | ipods - new and used

Read all about Wicked

Article - Recordings Review

Written early February:

The 2005 Grammy Awards – Wicked and Avenue Q Face Off Again

by Morgan LaVere

The 47th Annual Grammy awards will be held on February 13, 2005. In the Musical Show category, the five nominated cast albums are: Assassins, Avenue Q, The Boy From Oz, Wicked, & Wonderful Town.

The Grammy Awards are notoriously difficult to predict, as the Grammy voters are an eclectic collection of recording industry professionals. (The only requirement for becoming a voting member of The Recording Academy, the organization that sponsors the Grammy Awards, is having performed, written or produced at least six tracks on any professional recording.) The choices that The Recording Academy members make are occasionally mysterious – in 1996, the award for Musical Show Album of the Year went to Riverdance!

So, with disclaimer in hand, I attempt to make some predictions about this year's winner.

ASSASSINS: The field is exceptionally strong. All five of the nominated recordings are terrific. PS Classics' release of the Roundabout revival of Assassins is arguably the weakest. I find the RCA original cast recording superior in most respects. On the plus side, the new orchestrations and expanded instrumentation give this recording a richer sound than its predecessor. There are fine performances from Michael Cerveris (Booth), Neil Patrick Harris (Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald), and Marc Kudisch (Proprietor). It also contains the first recording of the Sondheim song "Something Just Broke," a welcome addition to the score. There is more material on this new cast album than the original, some of it interesting (the Emma Goldman speech), some of it rather grating (Mario Cantone's screechy monologue). But overall, I find the performances on the original RCA recording definitive. Odds: 1-30.

Assassins cast album - buy or hear sound clips

Avenue Q: I don't think there's a better "feel good" listen than the RCA's Original Broadway Cast recording of Avenue Q. From the first couple of notes of "The Avenue Q Theme Song," an irremovable smile inevitably plants itself upon my face. The score is alternately melodic ("Purpose"), catchy ("Schadenfreude"), hysterically funny ("It Sucks To Be Me"), wistful ("Mix Tape") and moving ("There's a Fine, Fine Line"). However, while Avenue Q did manage to snag the Best Musical Tony last year, there's no guaranty that the Grammy voters will feel the same way. In recent years, the award has either been presented to the most popular show (The Producers), or one with high name recognition (last year's award went to Gypsy). Odds: 1-3.

Avenue Q, Original Broadway Cast RecordingAvenue Q cast album - Buy it or hear sound clips

The Boy From Oz: The Boy From Oz is this year's wild card entry. While the show itself was critically derided (Hugh Jackman notwithstanding), the cast album omits the show's biggest problem – a ridiculous, hackneyed book. Divorced from that, this recording is highly listenable, with stand out performances from Jackman, Stephanie J. Block, Isabel Keating, and Beth Fowler, and sizzling orchestrations by Michael Gibson. There is also the Peter Allen factor to be considered – pop musicians who either write Broadway musicals or have their songs shoehorned into Broadway musicals are often rewarded by Grammy voters (Aida and Smokey Joe's Café). Between Jackman and Allen, this recording will likely be more familiar to Grammy voters than Avenue Q. Odds: 1-2.

Boy from Oz, Original Broadway Cast RecordingBoy from Oz - buy or hear sound clips

Wicked: Decca Broadway's recording of Wicked is likewise a contender, containing wonderful performances from Tony-winner Idina Menzel, Hollywood's new sweetheart, Kristin Chenoweth, and fine supporting performances by Joel Grey, Carole Shelley and Norbert Leo Butz. Personally, I was disappointed in the decision to truncate the score. While I understand the producer's desire to not reveal Wicked's many delicious and surprising plot twists, the near absence of Michelle Federer on the recording is unfortunate, and I would have personally preferred a more complete document of the show. As far as the Grammy Awards are concerned, Wicked may hold an advantage, in that it was the top selling musical cast album of last year, and everyone seems to love anything Oz-related. Odds: 1-2. [Read all about the Wicked score: feature articles, song history, musical analysis, reviews]

Wicked, Original Broadway Cast RecordingOriginal Broadway cast recording for the musical Wicked: $13.49 (List price $18.98). Amazon.com - Wicked CD [new browser window]

Wonderful Town: Which leaves us with DRG's release of the revival of Wonderful Town. This new recording of the classic Bernstein/Comden/Green score has much to commend it, starting with Donna Murphy's delightful performance (it's a pleasure to hear these songs in the hands of brilliant vocalist for a change), and Rob Fisher's snappy orchestra. Still, it is far from perfect. While Jennifer Westfeldt made a charming and winning Eileen on stage, her performance was marred by pitch difficulties, a problem that carries over to this recording. Odds: 1-20.

Wonderful Town, Original Broadway Cast RecordingWonderful Town - buy or hear sound clips

__________

All in all, it was a terrific year for Original Broadway Cast recordings. Who will win the Grammy award? Only time will tell. As the Tony awards showed us this year, it ain't over until the green lady sings.

Wicked Music links

2004 Awards for Wicked Cast, Creative Team, and the Musical

Tony Winners

Wicked - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Idina Menzel
Wicked - Best Costume Design - Susan Hilferty
Wicked - Best Scene Design - Eugene Lee.

Following the Tony Awards, the producers of Wicked added an eight-week block of tickets and subsequently sold more than $1 million in tickets by noon. "We're going to be here for a long time," says producer David Stone.

Tony Nominations

Wicked topped the nominations counts for all Broadway shows with a total of 10, including nominations for:

  • BEST MUSICAL
  • Best Original Score - Stephen Schwartz
  • Best Book of a musical -Winnie Holzman
  • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Kristin Chenoweth
  • Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Idina Menzel
  • Best Costume Design - Susan Hilferty
  • Best Scenic Design - Eugene Lee
  • Best Lighting Design - Kenneth Posner
  • Best Choreography - Wayne Cilento
  • Best Orchestrations - William David Brohn

The Tonys are given by the American Theater Wing for Broadway shows only, and are considered the most prestigious of the awards. Tony voters are a mix of professionals from all areas of theater and include all Dramatist Guild Council Members.

Drama Desk

Drama Desk Awards. The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, editors and reporters. A commitee nominates candidates and shows from both On and Off-Broadway productions. The winners are determined by the 140 voting members of the Drama Desk. See www.dramadesk.com.

Wicked garnered the most nominations and awards of any show this season.

Wicked's final awards announced May 16:

  • Oustanding Musical - Wicked,
  • Outstanding Lyrics - Stephen Schwartz,
  • Outstanding Book - Winnie Holzman,
  • Oustanding Costume Design - Susan Hilferty,
  • Oustanding Set Design of a musical - Eugene Lee -
  • Oustanding Director of a Musical - Joe Mantello (According to Playbill.com, Mantello's award is a correction released on 5-17-04.)

Nominations included:

  • Outstanding Musical,
  • Outstanding Actress in a Musical Kristin Chenoweth
  • Outstanding Actress in a Musical Idina Menzel
  • Outstanding Director of a Musical, Joe Mantello,
  • Outstanding Music, Stephen Schwartz[read about Wicked CD and music; read about Stephen Schwartz's musical influences]
  • Outstanding Lyrics - Stephen Schwartz [read about the songs of Wicked]
  • Outstanding Book of a Musical Winnie Holzman (only two nominated for this category),
  • Outstanding Orchestrations, William David Brohn, [read about Wicked music and music team]
  • Outstanding Set Design of a Musical, Eugene Lee,
  • Outstanding Costume Design, Susan Hilferty,
  • Outstanding Lighting Design, Kenneth Posner

Outer Critics

Outer Critics Circle Awards are given for both On and Off-Broadway productions by critics and writers from outside New York. Wicked received 10 nominations and took four awards, leading all other shows. Wicked won for Outstanding Broadway Musical, Outstanding direction of a musical - Joe Mantello, Outstanding set design - Eugene Lee, and Oustanding costume design, Susan Hilferty

The Drama League

The Drama League includes Broadway and Off Broadway but only awards productions and performers - no design, or writing awards. This is an organization you can join. Visit Dramaleague.org [new browser window]. Only one performer, whether from a musical or play, is honored each year. Nominations for Wicked 2004 include

  • Outstanding Production of a Musical
  • Distinguished Performance: Kristin Chenoweth
  • Distinguished Performance: Idina Menzel

Eddy Award

The prestigious EDDYs pay tribute to those whose work has made an impact in the entertainment industry. The editors of Entertainment Design select the winners with an eye toward true excellence in technical and design-related fields. Susan Hilferty and the entire costume team won the Eddy Award - for Wicked's Costumes.

 

cover for Stephen Schwartz songbookBest sellers at MusicalSchwartz.com include Wicked Piano Vocal Selections (sheet music); The Stephen Schwartz Songbook, the Wicked cast album and Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked (see Wicked page), Children of Eden CDs, Godspell CDs and DVD and the Working DVD.


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