The filmed performance of "The Prince of Egypt: The Musical" is now available for streaming on all major platforms, starting last Dec. 4 following an exclusive release on BroadwayHD on Nov. 15. Shot at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End, the performance features the 60-strong original cast and orchestra members featured in its inaugural run.
The production is based on the DreamWorks Animation masterpiece and namesake, "The Prince of Egypt," and was brought to existence by four-time Grammy-winning composer Stephen Schwartz's music and lyrics, with direction from Scott Schwartz and writing from Philip Lazebnik who also wrote the screenplay for the animated movie.
Premiering back in 2007, the show eventually performed in London's prestigious West End in 2020 and ran until January 2022. It essentially follows the same narrative as the movie, wherein two young Ancient Egyptian men get entangled in an odyssey surrounding a kingdom's rule, the salvation of people, and the tragic relationship of two brothers.
Scott Schwartz on What 'The Prince of Egypt: The Musical' Represents
All in all, Schwartz wrote 17 songs for the production, 12 of which were new songs and 5 were reprised from the original film, all beloved classics like "When You Believe," "Deliver Us," "All I Ever Wanted," "Through Heaven's Eyes," and "The Plagues."
According to a statement to Deseret News, Schwartz said that in addition to the new compositions, the musical also has characters "that are not in the movie."
He also added that the inception of the production began due to a multitude of requests from both amateur and professional theater companies alike. It was not until DreamWorks itself approached Schwartz that he decided to proceed with the adaptation. For him, it was an exciting undertaking.
"To take this great film with these amazing songs and this epic, beloved story, a story that's so central to so many different cultures around the world and to find a way to do that on stage... I mean, that was an offer I couldn't refuse," Schartz shared.
At the core of "The Prince of Egypt's" story is something "deeply human," the composer said. He continued by saying that this narrative is about the human struggle against events that are "larger than themselves" along with developments in the world that dwarf even those said events, and how it all influences "their relationships."
"I think this is a story for right now," Schwartz added.
