Wicked creator: 'It's a privilege to write new songs for Ariana Grande'
Stephen Schwartz tells RadioTimes.com that he's relished penning new songs for Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the beloved musical's two-part film adaptation.
From Defying Gravity to For Good, Stephen Schwartz's Wicked already includes several numbers beloved by musical theatre fans – and the legendary composer has penned some brand new tracks for the upcoming two-part filmed adaptation.
And Schwartz has revealed that writing the new songs for stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo – who will play lead roles Glinda and Elphaba respectively in the movie – has been a "privilege".
Speaking to RadioTimes.com for a Big RT Interview to promote the digital release of The Prince of Egypt: The Musical, he explained that working on the film had been a "complete joy" before praising all of those involved in the project.
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"The creative team, led by [director] Jon Chu, has been fantastic, and I have a great music team, many of whom came from the show originally," he said.
"And then we have this phenomenal cast – particularly our leading ladies in Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are such great singers, such great musicians and wonderful human beings to work with."
He went on to reveal that the decision to split the film into two parts had left "some room for exploration that has led to a couple of new songs".
"It's just been a privilege to be able to write with the voices of Cynthia and Ariana in mind," he added.
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That choice to release the musical as two separate films led to a few raised eyebrows when it was first announced back in 2022, but Schwartz insists that it would not have been possible "to get the whole story into one movie", while also noting that it would not have made sense to have showstopping anthem Defying Gravity in the middle of a film.
"I mean, it was hard to get past," he said. "Defying Gravity is such a sort of definitive end of an act that no matter what we tried to do, it just felt as if, well, you know, at this point, the audience is going to want to take a break. And you could just hear the sound of footsteps going up the aisle!"
He also revealed that the creative team had briefly toyed with the idea of adding an intermission, but ultimately decided that there was enough story that it "warranted two movies".
"And you know, I'm very excited about that concept," he said.
For more from Stephen Schwartz be sure to check out our upcoming Big RT Interview.
The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is available on digital platforms now and Wicked: Part 1 will be released in UK cinemas in late 2024. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
