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Stephen Schwartz' Geppetto and Son to Premiere in Kansas City in June
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 06, 2006
"Once the Blue Fairy grants Geppetto his wish, the new father finds his parenting skills are a bit rough. Feeling he is unwanted, Pinocchio runs away to become a star in a traveling show. Geppetto must negotiate through a maze of adventures and comic encounters to find him," state notes on the Coterie's website.
Geppetto and Son, which will feature a score by Schwartz and a book by David Stern, is based on the telemusical that aired in 2000 on ABC and starred Drew Carey in the title role, Seth Adkins as Pinocchio, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the Blue Fairy, Brent Spiner as the villainous Stromboli, and Rene Auberjonois as Professor Buonragazzo, as well as Ana Gasteyer and Wayne Brady. Based on the Carlo Collodi story that also inspired the 1940 Disney cartoon, "Geppetto" also featured a teleplay by Stern and songs by Schwartz.
Stephen Schwartz, whose Wicked is the biggest musical hit on Broadway, wrote the music and lyrics for Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden, and Captain Louie, and contributed his songs to the score of Working; he also collaborated with Charles Strouse on Rags. He has also written for the big screen, with a number of scores for animated films; he wrote music and lyrics for DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt and the TV musical Geppetto, as well as lyrics for the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (both with Alan Menken). Schwartz, whose two solo CDs Relucant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory feature him performing his own songs, has received three each of the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards and the Drama Desk Awards.
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