Stephen Schwartz Musicals – The Full List of Shows
Stephen Schwartz is an American composer and lyricist who is especially known for hit shows like Wicked and Godspell. He has won 3 Grammy Awards, 3 Academy Awards, 6 Tony nominations, and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. Schwartz has been inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A full list of his stage shows are listed below, sorted chronologically. You’ll also find his additional work at the bottom of the page.
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Musicals by Stephen Schwartz
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John-Michael Tebelak
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1971)
Godspell premiered Off-Broadway in 1971 and became a long-running commercial success. The show spawned numerous international productions and earned Schwartz a Tony nomination for Best Original Score.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Roger O. Hirson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1972)
Pippin had its premiere on Broadway and earned Stephen Schwartz another Tony nomination for Best Original Score. The show became a huge success, and it had constant revivals across the US.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Joseph Stein
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1976)
The Baker’s Wife was the first of Stephen Schwartz’s shows to premiere in London’s West End. It ended up receiving mixed reviews after its short run.
Music/Lyrics/Adaptation: Stephen Schwartz Music/Lyrics: Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, James Taylor Adaptation: Nina Faso
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1977)
Working is a unique musical due to the collaboration between many writers. Stephen Schwartz contributed four songs to the show and helped revise it later on.
Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Joseph Stein Revisions: David Thompson
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1986)
Unfortunately, Rags was a legendary Broadway flop, closing after just 4 shows and 18 previews. But the show was revised later on, which led to a handful of revivals.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: John Caird
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1991)
Children of Eden is unique in that it wasn’t a huge commercial success. However, it did become popular with many community and regional theaters, making it a success in a different way.
Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: James Lapine, Peter Parnell
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1999)
Opening in Germany as Der Glöckner von Notre Dame, this was Disney’s first musical premiere outside of the US. After three years, it also became one of Berlin’s longest running musicals.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Winnie Holzman
Musical Type: Contemporary (2003)
Wicked is undeniably one of Stephen Schwartz’s most epic successes. The musical went on numerous tours and won many prestigious awards, including a Drama Desk for Outstanding Musical.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Concept: Michael Scheman, David Stern
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Snapshots is a revue/book musical hybrid showcasing the music of Stephen Schwartz. Due to its small cast and familiar songs, it’s now getting noticed and produced by regional theaters.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Anthony Stein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Originally titled The Trip, the first version of Captain Louie actually premiered in the 1980s as a 30-minute show. But the 2005 version is double the length with many additional songs.
Music/Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz Book: Philip LaZebnik
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
Based on the 1998 animated film, The Prince of Egypt premiered in Silicon Valley in 2017. A revised version later opened for a limited 2020 engagement in the West End.
Film
1995: Pocahontas➝ (lyrics)
1996: The Hunchback of Notre Dame➝ (lyrics)
1998: The Prince of Egypt➝ (music/lyrics)
2000: Geppetto➝ (music/lyrics)
2007: Enchanted➝ (lyrics)
2022: Disenchanted➝ (lyrics)
Additional Work
Here’s a list of additional works by Stephen Schwartz, including musicals with limited information or unavailable cast albums online.
1969: Butterflies are Free (play)
1971: Bernstein’s Mass➝ (English texts)
1974: The Magic Show (musical)
1985: Personals (musical revue)
2005: My Fairy Tale (musical)
2006: Disney’s My Son Pinocchio (musical for young audiences)
2009: Séance on a Wet Afternoon (opera)
2016: Magic to Do➝ (exclusive revue for Princess Cruises)
2016: Schikaneder➝ (musical in German)
Books
Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz➝
The Godspell Experience: Inside a Transformative Musical➝
The Perfect Peach: A Story by Stephen Schwartz➝
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Which of these Stephen Schwartz musicals is your favorite?
Or have you ever played a role in any of these musicals by Stephen Schwartz? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you enjoy exploring these lists, check out the musical database, where you can discover musicals organized by composer, theme, setting, and much more!
Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She holds a BA in theatre and a TESOL drama certificate, with experience working and interning in Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.