Broadway came to Long Island recently as a range of vocalists from the “Great White Way” and musicians gathered to honor and induct award-winning Broadway and movie lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked,” “Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Pocahontas,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and the new movie adaptation of “Wicked,” among other titles) into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) on March 23rd at its Stony Brook Museum location. The award presentation was preceded by an hour-and-a-half concert emceed by musician Paul Shaffer, which featured performances from Schwartz’ musicals.
Although well-known on Broadway and Manhattan, Schwartz has solid Long Island roots, having grown up in Williston Park and graduated from Mineola High School. With a career that includes winning four Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and numerous other accolades, Schwartz says that being recognized on Long Island is an extra-special honor for him.
"Long Island has proven to be especially fertile ground for producing major talents in the fields of music and entertainment,” said Schwartz. “The list of names is long and impressive. It's a great honor for me to be recognized as being a part of that amazing tradition."
Schwartz joins other legendary Broadway lyricists and musicians inducted into LIMEHOF with ties to Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens, including George Gershwin (2006) and George M. Cohan (2006). LIMEHOF currently includes over 120 inductees.
"It is with great honor and pride that the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame inducts the legendary Stephen Schwartz into our esteemed institution,” said Ernie Canadeo, LIMEHOF Chairman. “With a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has enriched the world of American musical theatre and the silver screen with timeless classics. We celebrate not only his remarkable talent but also his enduring legacy, which will continue to inspire generations to come."
The music concert that preceded the induction was emceed by musician Paul Shaffer, with whom Schwartz worked early in his career. In 1972, Shaffer was hired as the musical director for the Toronto production of “Godspell.” He went on to play piano for another Schwartz-written score that played on Broadway, “The Magic Show,” in 1974. Shaffer eventually went on to play in the house band of on “Saturday Night Live,” followed by serving as musical director for David Letterman’s “Late Night” and “Late Show” broadcasts. Shaffer performed alongside musicians from the musical “Godspell” that included Rick Shutter (drummer), Doug Quinn (guitarist) and Steve Manes (bassist).
Broadway performers and singers who performed at this event included Teal Wicks and Carrie St. Louis (“Wicked”), Dale Soules (“The Magic Show”), Alysia Velez (“Into the Woods”), Sam Simahk (“Into the Woods”) and DeMarius Copes (“Some Like It Hot”). The concert featured Music from “Wicked,” “Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Working,” “The Magic Show.” and “Pocahontas.” In addition to the music performances, his friend Stephen Reinhardt, who was a keyboard player and musical director for “Godspell” and “The Magic Show,” took the stage and gave a heartfelt speech. Sprinkled throughout the concert were various recorded video messages from Schwartz’ friends and colleagues who couldn’t be there but wanted to celebrate his induction, including Idina Menzel, Alan Menken, and Kristin Chenoweth, who had worked with Schwartz before in “Wicked,” and is working with him now on “The Queen of Versailles.”
After being inducted, Stephen closed out the evening by performing a song from his upcoming musical, “The Queen of Versailles,” which is set to debut later this year.
After the event, Schwartz called it “a lovely evening” and said it was like a big reunion.
“All those videos were surprises… from my son and my friends… and it was really a moving evening for me,” Schwartz said. “I didn’t really expect this, so it was very meaningful to me.”
About Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz was born in New York City and grew up in the Williston Park area of Nassau County, where he graduated from Mineola High School in 1964. He studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School while in high school and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1968 with a B.F.A. in Drama.
In a highly acclaimed career spanning over 50 years, Schwartz has written a variety of musicals that include (most famously) “Godspell” (1971), “Pippin” (1972), and “Wicked” (2003). Additionally, Schwartz has contributed music and lyrics to several movies, such as “Pocahontas” (1995), “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996), “The Prince of Egypt” (1998), and “Enchanted” (2007). He was also involved with the upcoming feature film adaptation of “Wicked,” which is scheduled to be released this fall.
Schwartz has won numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He has received nominations for six Tony Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award. He received the Tony Award’s Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2015.
About LIMEHOF
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook, New York. To date, the organization has inducted more than 120 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.