Musicals are in this director's blood

By Terry Byrne, Globe Correspondent  |  May 25, 2007

At 33, Scott Schwartz doesn't quite qualify as a wunderkind, but since graduating from Harvard in 1995, he's built a career as a director who's earned both critical praise and professional respect. And he's managed to do it mostly outside the shadow of his famous dad, composer Stephen Schwartz ("Godspell," "Wicked," "Pippin," "Rags," "The Baker's Wife," "Pocahontas," to name a few).

Scott Schwartz says he and his father made a deliberate choice not to work together when he was getting started. "It was very important to me to build my own career," he says. "My family background is in musicals, but I wanted to be careful not to get pegged too early as a certain kind of director. I've always wanted to be a director who can do all kinds of shows."

Schwartz has crossed genres, directing a variety of productions -- even a tour of "Godspell." His schedule this year includes a reading of his adaptation of Willa Cather's "My Antonia " in Washington, D.C., a production of Goldoni's "The Servant of Two Masters" in Boulder , Colo., a new play in Pasadena, Calif., a workshop of a new opera by his father in the Adirondacks, and "Othello" at the Alley Theatre in Houston.

On Tuesday, his revival of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" starts previews at the North Shore Music Theatre after receiving rapturous reviews at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston and the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn , N.J.

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" is an adaptation of the much-loved Stanley Donen movie musical of 1954, which featured wildly athletic production numbers and a corny love story. Although the original creators tried to adapt it for the stage in 1982, that production ran for only 15 performances. The creative team continued to rewrite, with a Goodspeed Musicals production in 2005, but the show has struggled to find its way in the 21st century.

The story is based on Stephen Vincent Benet's "The Sobbin' Women," his retelling of Plutarch's "The Rape of the Sabine Women," and is set in the Oregon wilderness of the 1850s, where seven lonely brothers are looking for love. The brothers' decision to kidnap some women from town and block rescue efforts with an avalanche across the only road kicks the comedy into high gear.

Schwartz appreciates the "Seven Brides" movie musical. "It's charming, funny, energetic and has great characters," he says. "It sounds odd, but in order to make it feel fresh and contemporary, we had to make it as close and accurate to the period as we could. The story is set in the Oregon wilderness, a place where civilization was just beginning to get a foothold. Although real pioneers weren't doing back flips off other people, we had to be sincere and honor these characters and their world as the foundation of our country."

To create that wilderness look, Schwartz turned to scenic designer Anna Louizos (set designer for "Curtains," currently running on Broadway). "We really wanted to play up the notion of nature versus civilization and give the story some grit and depth," he says. "Anna's set is all about the woods where these people live and what a dangerous world it can be. We are reworking the design for North Shore's arena stage, but we're determined to keep the trees an integral part of the design."

Although he hasn't worked in the round before, Schwartz says he's excited to be at North Shore, where he saw "Abyssinia" during his student days. "The round makes the show feel very intimate," he says. "The audience is very close, and when you add Patti Colombo's gymnastic choreography and these wonderful songs, the energy and excitement is incredible."

Tuesday through June 17. $35-$70. 978-232-7200, nsmt.org.

As part of its role in Five Cent Productions and Elephant Eye Productions, the Citi Performing Arts Center will be one of the producers of a new musical based on the Charles Addams cartoons that ran in the New Yorker and spawned a TV series and two movies. "The Addams Family" is expected to bow on Broadway in 2009- 10 and will feature the music of Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party," which just closed at New Rep) and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice ("Jersey Boys").

An intriguing mix of hot new plays and familiar playwrights will fill SpeakEasy Stage Company's 17th season. Highlights include the New England premiere of Alan Bennett's Tony award-winning "The History Boys," about the clash of old and new at a British boys' school (Sept. 7-Oct. 20), directed by award-winner Scott Edmiston, followed by the interactive musical whodunit "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (Nov. 16-Dec. 15). Both productions will be staged in the 200-seat Roberts Studio at the BCA's Calderwood Pavilion, but the company takes a step up with its move into the 350-seat Wimberly Theatre for the New England premiere of "The Little Dog Laughed," Douglas Carter Beane's hit satire of Hollywood. SpeakEasy returns to the Roberts with the wacky musical "Zanna, Don't" (March 14-April 12) and Terrence McNally's comedy "Some Men" (May 16-June 15).

SpeakEasy will also offer a musical workshop of "The Woman Upstairs," a new show by Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan about two warring neighbors, and a stage reading of "The Etty Project," actress and writer Anne Gottlieb's new play based on the writings of Etty Hillesum, a Dutch Jew who underwent a transformation two years before her death at Auschwitz. 617-933-8600, boston theatrescene.com.

The American Repertory Theatre's Zero Arrow space returns to the evocative club atmosphere created for "The Onion Cellar" for "A Marvelous Party! A Noel Coward Celebration" July 13-29. The musical revue will feature ART regulars Remo Airaldi, Thomas Derrah, Will LeBow, and Karen MacDonald and will be directed by award-winner Scott Edmiston, making his ART debut. $25-$45. 617-547-8300, amrep.org. . . . The Cutler Majestic Theatre will host "Beehive, the 60's Musical" (July 25-28), "I Love a Piano" (Sept. 21-30), "Love, Janis" (May 7--11, 2008), and Dionne Warwick (Oct. 27-28, 2008). In addition, the "Pulse Series" will include "Yamato, The Drummers of Japan" (Dec. 1-2), "Tango Fire" (Jan. 11-13), and Attack Theatre's "Games of Steel" (Feb. 22-24).

Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne@aol.com.