Long overdue Tony Award may be slipping away from Broadway icon Stephen Schwartz
(UPDATE 8/19 - "Godspell" producers say the Broadway production planned for September has been postponed. READ MORE)
Musical maestro Stephen Schwartz has three Oscars and three Grammys, but his mantle is still missing the highest prize in theaterdom — the Tony Award.
The last show penned by this composer-lyricist to hit Broadway was the mega-smash musical "Wicked." Though the front-runner at the 2004 Tonys, "Wicked" was bested for best musical by upstart "Avenue Q." And Schwartz lost his fifth bid for best score to the team that 
came up with those twisted takes on "Sesame Street" ditties for "Avenue Q." As a consolation prize of sorts for losing the Tony, Schwartz and company did win the Grammy for best cast album. And "Wicked" is still SRO as it enters its sixth season on Broadway while "Avenue Q" plays to 80% capacity.
Now comes word via Variety that the rialto revival of Schwartz's first success — 1971's "Godspell" — is in trouble financially and may not begin previews as scheduled on Sept. 29.
First a hit off Broadway (the original cast album even won the Grammy) this musical variation on the Gospels came to Broadway in 1977 in a revised form. Schwartz lost the Tony for best score to the team from the best musical winner "Annie." More than three decades on, the show could be a strong contender for the best musical revival Tony — if it actually opens.
Schwartz lost his first Tony bid — for 1973's "Pippin" — to Tony darling Stephen Sondheim, who created best musical winner "A Little Night Music." No. 3 in 1978 was not the charm either as "Working" lost to the score from "On the Twentieth Century" by Broadway vets Cy Coleman, Adolph Green and Betty Comden. And his 1987 nod for "Rags" lost to the team behind best musical winner "Les Miserables."
(Imperial, Broadhurst, George Gershwin Theaters)
Wow, Ryan, that IS bizarre, Thanks for the info.
Posted by: dude | August 20, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Let's not forget that "Avenue Q" deserved every single award it won and I am including Best Musical. With it's ingenious campaigning strategy "Q" slayed the Goliath that was "Wicked" and deserves applause for it.
Posted by: Charles | August 19, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Two questions: (1) What did he win his Oscars for? (2) Does the author of best play revival get a Tony? I don't think so. The author definitely gets a Tony for best (original) play.
Posted by: dude | August 18, 2008 at 07:34 PM
This is actually a strange rule - the producers of the winner of Best Revival of a Musical or Play are entitled to purchase additional Tonys from the ATW to give to the author(s) of a show. So technically, I guess they're not considered winners, but they can recieve an actual Tony award. Bizarre.
Posted by: Ryan | August 18, 2008 at 05:54 PM
Tom, I don't believe that Schwartz would win a Tony even if the Godspell revival was happening. Putting aside the question of whether Godspell would win Best Revival of a Musical, I do not believe that the composer of a revival receives a Tony unless he is also a producer. I believe that for both revival categories as well as for best musical, the writers do not get a Tony, only the producers. Best Play is the only such category where the playwright actually receives a Tony as well as the producers.
Posted by: mikem | August 18, 2008 at 03:10 PM
Wow Tom, you're surprisingly behind; last week the news broke that the "Godspell" revival is pretty much a done deal with reports in NY Post and Broadwayworld.com. Cast was notified that the revival was cancelled.
And really, let's not poo-poo "Q" too much. It has played over 2,000 performances and is still at 80% - a feat for any show, especially one that scores said would never work on Broadway.
Posted by: Ryan | August 18, 2008 at 02:47 PM