Book Review: Defying Gravity by CT Author Carol de Giere

Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz from GODSPELL to WICKED is a comprehensive biography written by Connecticut author Carol de Giere. The 500+ page book takes readers into the creative world of Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, from writing GODSPELL’s score at age 23 through the making of the megahit, and my all-time favorite, WICKED.

For this first authorized biography, Ms. de Giere draws from 80 hours of interviews with Schwartz and over 100 interviews with his colleagues, friends, and family. Her “sympathetic yet frank narrative” reveals never-before-told stories and explores both Schwartz's phenomenal hits and expensive flops. This version of the book also includes a series of “Creativity Notes” with insights about artistic life, and more than 200 photographs and illustrations.

I got to meet Ms. de Giere at a performance of EDDIE AND THE PALACEADES. The book writer and lyricist Roy O’Neil invited both of us to sit at his table for this production and the author gave me her card. I recall that she told me how nice a man Mr. Schwarz was and what she said has stayed with me. I might add that Ms. de Giere herself was very nice to a then budding theatre reviewer.

I soon downloaded a preview of Defying Gravity to my Kindle and I have been looking forward to reading the rest of the book for a long time. When I presented Ms. de Giere’s card to the helpful staff of the Whittemore Library in Naugatuck, they managed to secure the signed copy of the book from the Southbury Public Library. I recently finished reading the first edition from cover to cover.

My readers will not be surprised that I am a big fan of Mr. Schwartz. I was thrilled to attend a talk that he kindly presented in 2014 to the young performers of Trumbull during the rehearsal process of their wonderful performance of CHILDREN OF EDEN. I took copious notes as he spoke with the high school students, but I couldn’t help being star struck to be in the same auditorium as one of my musical heroes. My next encounter with Mr. Schwartz was when I literally followed him up the stairs to the Goodspeed Opera House at the press night for his reworked musical RAGS; the composer stayed for the performance, causing at least two critics to turn into fangirls.

In this well-researched biography, the talented author takes us behind the scenes, from Schwartz’s early life through his writing of GODSPELL’s score at the tender age of 23, through PIPPIN, WORKING, RAGS and straight through to the making of WICKED. The book includes photographs and several handwritten notes and music, many from Schwartz’s private archives.

Most fans know that Ms. de Giere titled this career biography after “Defying Gravity,” the second act closer from Mr. Schwartz’s hit musical WICKED. In the show, the song represents the moment when the green girl, Elphaba, realizes she must stand for what she believes, regardless of previous expectations and the response from the uncaring people around her.

Dedicated to the creative spirit within each of us - Carol de Giere

We come to understand from this 2008 biography that this is a songwriter whose dreams were often dashed and whose work was often criticized, but who found new ways to defy burdening problems and opinions.

The book is organized into three acts, with WICKED warranting a separate section of 14 chapters. I loved reading about the humble beginnings of another favorite musical, GODSPELL and then about the trajectory of PIPPIN in the first act. The second act (1974-1999) includes chapters about WORKING, RAGS and CHILDREN OF EDEN. The history of Mr. Schwatz’s work on animated films became interesting when he describes the field trips that he took doing research for the films. Perhaps my favorite pages of the biography were in the “Extras” section that follows the chapters about my favorite show, which includes GODSPELL Song Stories (I was in Heaven reading these) and the WICKED outline by Mr. Schwartz. There are also notes, a selected biography and an index.

Happily for me, the most extensive behind-the-scenes coverage in DEFYING GRAVITY is for WICKED, and at this point I could not put down the book. The lucky author was granted interviews with Mr. Schwartz and his collaborators during the musical’s development process, and it is clear that DEFYING GRAVITY includes quotations from them that are not available in other sources. I learned so many tidbits about the twists and turns it took to get the long-running musical just right. I read with interest about the clocks in the set design, and the ideas from the original film that had to be cut. I won’t spoil any other backstage info that may be new to the reader.

Ms. de Giere describes how she came to write this biography. “In December of 1999 I joined a project with several hundred other freelance writers who were helping prepare a music website. We were supposed to spend 1-2 hours writing brief biographies of musicians based on information we found on the internet. I was assigned to write about musicians whose last names start with the letter “S.’

The author continues: “After spending about 10 hours absorbed in the answers Stephen provided on www.stephenschwartz.com, I realized he was someone who could describe his creative process and had plenty of interesting stories. Plus, I liked his musicals. So, I emailed him to ask if I could write a book about him. He wrote back, ‘No one to date has asked.’ That was January 2000.” I almost can’t believe that this was the manner in which this wonderful book came to be.

As I was writing this, my first attempt at a book review, I received an email from the library that they have a copy of THE GODSPELL EXPERIENCE Inside a Transformative Musical by Carol de Giere that I requested is available for pickup from my library. Stay tuned.

After finishing the first edition, I found that there is a newer edition of this biography with a new cover. Ms. de Giere tells me that the first edition is now out of print.

DEFYING GRAVITY: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked, Revised and Updated Second Edition (Applause Books Trade Paperback; $29.99; October 16, 2018) offers an unprecedented look at the making of American musical icon Stephen Schwartz Stephen Schwartz.

“I have always appreciated the unique way Carol organized the book, so that instead of a standard biography jumping from career peak to peak, it shows the struggles, setbacks and daily frustrations of trying to be a professional writer, and it includes creativity ideas from not just me but other talented colleagues, which I think are inspiring to anyone (and remain useful for me to re-read). I have to say that I really like this new version, which is both shorter and more complete at the same time, so kudos to Carol for that.” – Stephen Schwartz in a newsletter, October 2018.

Carol de Giere, M.S., M.A., is a former librarian who has enjoyed a life-long interest in musicals. She and her husband live in Connecticut. Her author site is www.caroldegiere.com

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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