Tell Me More | Episode 63: Stephen Schwartz on the Timely Message of 'The Prince of Egypt'

On today’s episode, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with one of the most important and influential composers in the history of musical theatre, Stephen Schwartz.

In 1998, DreamWorks released the animated film “The Prince of Egypt,” which featured a now legendary score by Schwartz. Nineteen years later, in 2017, a stage adaptation of the musical premiered before opening up in London’s West End in February 2020. Following pandemic shutdowns, the show returned a year and a half later and was eventually filmed. That live capture is now available on BroadwayHD.

Matt spoke to Stephen about the evolution of the Prince of Egypt from screen to stage and back to screen, why he routinely returns to Biblical stories as the source for projects, and how the story of Moses mirrors much of what is happening in the world today.

They also discussed his latest musical “The Queen of Versailles,” the 20th anniversary of “Wicked,” and Stephen revealed the one Biblical story that he did try to musicalize -- along with another iconic musical theatre writer -- before realizing there just wasn’t enough there to sustain the project.

Stream "The Prince of Egypt: The Musical" on BroadwayHD:
https://video.broadwayhd.com/movies/the-prince-of-egypt-the-musical 

Connect with Matt:
matt@broadwayradio.com
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Instagram: @BWWMatt

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com