Schwartz set to write first opera

“WICKED” composer Stephen Schwartz will be going from wicked to wickeder when he tackles his first opera, “Seance on a Wet Afternoon,” scheduled to premiere in 2009 at Opera Santa Barbara.

Based on a 1961 novel by Mark McShane that was adapted for a 1964 film starring Kim Stanley and directed by Bryan Forbes, “Seance” tells the story of a crazed psychic who concocts a kidnapping scheme to gain the celebrity she craves.

“It was a wonderful movie,” Schwartz said from New York last week. “It really holds up. It doesn’t feel dated.”

Schwartz said he was drawn to the complexity of the characters -- the psychic, played by Stanley, and her weak-willed husband, played by Richard Attenborough. Even so, he said, “I’m embarking on extremely uncharted territory for myself. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea whether actually I will do this well or not. But it’s exciting for me. I’ve never done an opera and always had a desire to try my hand.”

Known for such Broadway hits as “Wicked,” “Godspell” and “Pippin,” Schwartz studied piano and composition as a high-schooler at the Juilliard School in New York and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in drama.

“This is not an occasion where I can really write pop music, for which I’m better known,” he said. “This is a more legit idea, and it’s going to require more legit music. I have written some of that. It will be a challenge. 2009 sounds a long way away. Actually, it’s like the day after tomorrow. I need to get to work.”

-- Chris Pasles