That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Show n Tell with Stephen Schwartz

Episode Date: November 24, 2023

Stephen Schwartz (the legendary composer of Wicked, Prince Of Egypt, Godspell and many other musicals) shares his object of joy with Gaby......and....SINGS! ACTUALLY SINGS! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We also ask on this podcast, reasons to be joyful, what brings you joy? Now, apparently you have a show and tell. You have something that you can share with us. The thing that brings you joy. Well, I can tell. Okay, you can tell me. Yeah, go for it. I have to go searching around for pictures.

But, yes, I have to, full disclosure, I was warned prior to this that you would ask me about that. And one of the things that they said were, was, and you can talk about your pet if you want to. Anything. Anything. So I am a major dog person, and I love dogs. Right now, I have a wonderful dog named Brigli,

who is part chitzu and part bijan. And he's hilarious and delightful. Sometimes I see very sad stories or stories about people who are very angry in the movies. And I think, well, this would all be solved if they just had a fluffy pad, if they would just go out and get a sweet little dog who would love them or a sweet big dog who would love them and they would love back. All these problems just go away. So, yeah, whenever I'm really down or feeling discouraged,

I know I can turn to my little doggy and, you know, we'll play or we'll run around or he'll do something hilarious and it will always cheer me up. That's perfect. What's your dog's name? his name is rigly Rigley Rigley yeah W-R-I-G-L-E-Y was named by one of my children

I still have no idea quite why they came up with that name but you know he got stuck with that it seems to fit him in some way and does he sing he does actually this is really

it's so funny that you should ask this sometimes he answers the phone if the phone rings and he doesn't literally pick up but if the phone rings and no one can get to it, he starts like singing. He starts going like, oh, oh, as if he's talking on the clock.

I think you're singing or howling, but he does make, you know, sort of a musical sound there. He's singing. I think you need a musical. They've done cats. I know there've been musicals about dogs, but we need a new one. That's the one. Rigley's opera. I will tell you that when I was, I think like, it's seven or eight years old and I was starting

to write little. musicals that my sister and I would do with her puppets and dolls and neighborhood children. The very first musical that I wrote was something called High Dog. And it was about, you know, someone whose dog runs away and they have to go searching for the dog. And then they're joyfully reunited at the end. So, you know, if not ending with one, I began with a musical about a dog. Can you still remember the song? I remember one song, maybe the first song I ever wrote.

It was called Little Lullaby, and I think it was sung to the dog or whatever. I don't have a piano right here, so I'll have to do a little bit of it for you, Acapella. Please do. But, yes, so it went like this. It was like, go to sleep, my baby. sleep right where you lie sleep and I don't mean maybe listen to my little lullaby listen to my little lullaby

so that was from high dog that I wrote when I was seven years old Stephen, my year has been made by you. I don't usually share that seems sort of like, you know. You are completely divine. Will you make me a very straight, a promise, please? You don't, you can keep, if you can keep the promise, it'd be great. When you come over to the UK for, and you say that the bakers, it's going to be on at the chocolate factory. The baker's wife will be in the summer, but I'll be there sooner because

we're going to be working on the Wicked movie over there. Okay. I have to see you in real life. And you're welcome here. You're welcome everywhere. In fact, I'll just, I'll, wherever you are. I'll be like, hey, Stephen, remember me? And then we'll see.

Well, we'll do it. I'll be in London. Yes. And can we sing, prepare ye together? Absolutely. We'll find what you, we'll do it in your key, whatever that is. We'll find it. You are magic.

Stephen Schwartz, I cannot thank you enough. As I said, you've made my year. I never imagined that 10-year-old little me would be talking to you. So thank you for everything. This has been so much fun. And I'm so happy about the Prince of Egypt video. So I'm happy to bring attention to it. And thank you for helping me do so.

Bless you. Thank you.