Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked

Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked. By Carol de Giere. Published by Applause Books. Softcover, 544 pages.

Defying Gravity 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 Wicked.

For this first authorized biography, 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.

"A wonderful read. And the Wicked section provides a comprehensive account of a thoroughly recondite and even mysterious event: the gestation and birth of a phenomenon. " - Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked (the novel)

"Trying to reconstruct the writing process of a musical is nearly impossible. Carol de Giere has captured it." - Winnie Holzman, book writer for Wicked (the musical)