Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked” and much more, has never been shy about discussing his struggles on Broadway. And so, when he told a friend how much he loved working on his revived — and Tony Award-winning — “Pippin,” his friend stared in disbelief: “Who are you, and what have you done with Stephen?” Schwartz laughs about it now. He started writing the score as a 17-year-old student at Carnegie Mellon and kept tweaking it long after graduation. “I’ve always been attracted to titles that are impossible in real life,” he says of songs like “Corner of the Sky” and “Colors of the Wind.” He’s also attracted to books: “I have all 81 Agatha Christie novels and can tell you who did it in each.” Here’s what else is in his library.
Chaos
by James Gleick
I like books about cosmology because I have a hard time understanding it. This one deals with chaos theory, and it’s not only comprehensible but a page-turner because you’re following the scientists as they develop this theory. Years later, I can react to traffic and weather patterns and say, “Ah, chaos theory at work!”
Ordinary People
by Judith Guest
I’m not a big fan of heroes and villains, black and white. This book, about a family with a son who’s having enormous psychological problems after his brother’s killed in a boating accident, is full of nuanced characters. I stayed up reading it ’til 2 in the morning and was just sobbing, because it awakened responses about my relationship with my own family.
His Dark Materials
by Philip Pullman
My friend Raúl Esparza recommended it: He thought it was terrific. I’m fond of fantasy series — I used to read the Narnia series and “Lord of the Rings” to my son, and I’m a fan of the Harry Potter books. This deals with organized religious and its inhibiting effect on individuals. I found that very daring. Plus it’s very touching, with a bittersweet ending.
In the Best Families
by Rex Stout
Rex Stout wrote a series of novels, probably the best-written mysteries I’ve come across, about an eccentric detective named Nero Wolfe, who lives in a brownstone on West 35th Street. Wolfe is enormously fat and obsessed with cooking, and many of the books feature recipes. This book is one of the last in the series, and bears repeated rereadings.