Pippin (musical)

This musical begins with the Leading Player of a troupe and the accompanying actors inviting the audience to witness their show, breaking the fourth wall ("Magic to Do"). They begin telling the story of Pippin (who they say is being played by a new actor), the first son of Charlemagne. Pippin tells the troupe of his wish for satisfaction, believing he must find his ("Corner of the Sky"). Pippin then returns home to the castle and estate of his father. Charlemagne and Pippin don't get a chance to communicate often, as they are constantly interrupted by nobles, soldiers, and courtiers vying for Charlemagne's attention ("Welcome Home"). Pippin also meets up with his stepmother Fastrada, and her dim-witted son Lewis. Charles and Lewis are planning on going into battle against the Visigoths soon, and Pippin begs Charlemagne to take him along to prove himself. He reluctantly agrees and proceeds to explain a battle plan to his men ("War is a Science").

Once in battle, the Leading Player and the troupe express the battle through dance ("Glory"), with the Leading Player and two lead dancers in the middle (performing Bob Fosse's famous "Manson Trio"). Pippin believed that combat would give him satisfaction, but he is instead horrified ("Corner of the Sky (Reprise)") and decides to flee to the countryside ("Simple Joys"). There, Berthe (his paternal grandmother, exiled by Fastrada) tells Pippin not to be so serious and to live a little ("No Time At All"). Pippin takes this advice and goes to "frolic" with several young women, but it soon becomes overwhelming and Pippin forces them all away ("With You").

The Leading Player enters and talks with the now exhausted Pippin, suggesting that fulfillment can be found in fighting against his father's tyrannical ways. Pippin does so, and Fastrada realizes that if Pippin successfully kills Charlemagne, or if Pippin is arrested for treason, Lewis will be next in line for the throne. She gets Charlemagne to go to his annual prayer at Arles early, and she tells Pippin that he will be there unarmed ("Spread a Little Sunshine"). At Arles, Pippin stabs the tyrant, and the people there bow to their new king ("Morning Glow"). The Leading Player mentions to the audience that they will break for now, but to expect a thoroughly thrilling finale.[Note 1]

As king, Pippin brings peace to the land by eradicating taxes, ending the military, and peacefully settling foreign disputes. However, this soon falls through, as Pippin is forced to go back on many of his promises. The Leading Player revives Charlemagne, who takes the throne back, and Pippin is left discouraged, as he still is unfulfilled. The Leading Player tells him that he is ("On the Right Track"), but after experimenting with art and religion, Pippin falls into monumental despair and collapses on the floor.

Widowed farm-owner Catherine finds him on the street and is attracted by the arch of his foot ("And There He Was"), and when Pippin comes to, she introduces herself ("Kind of Woman"). From the start, it is clear that the Leading Player is concerned with Catherine's acting ability and actual attraction to Pippin — after all, she is but a player playing a part in the Leading Player's yet-to-be-unfolded plan. Catherine has Pippin help with her estate. At first, Pippin thinks himself above such things ("Extraordinary"), but after comforting her son, Theo, on the sickness and eventual death of his pet duck (“Prayer for a Duck") he warms up to Catherine ("Love Song"). However, as time goes by, Pippin feels that he must leave the estate to continue searching for his purpose. Catherine is heartbroken and reflects on him, much to the Leading Player's anger and surprise ("I Guess I'll Miss the Man").

All alone on a stage, Pippin is surrounded by the Leading Player and the various troupe members. They tell him that the only fulfilling thing is their perfect act, the Finale, in which Pippin will light himself on fire and "become one with the flame" (implying that he will die in the process) ("Finale"). Just when he is about to do it, Catherine stops him. Catherine and her son Theo stand by Pippin and defy the script, the Leading Player, and the Troupe. Pippin comes to the realization that the widow's home was the only place where he was truly happy, and that maybe the most fulfilling road of all is a modest, ordinary life ("Magic Shows and Miracles"). The Leading Player becomes furious and calls off the show, telling the rest of the troupe and the orchestra to pack up and leave Pippin, Catherine, and her son alone on the empty stage. Pippin realizes that he has given up his extraordinary purpose for the simplest and most ordinary life of all, and he is finally a happy man. When Catherine asks him how he feels, he says he feels "trapped, but happy, which isn't bad for the end of a musical comedy. Tada!"

Some newer productions of Pippin, including the 2013 Broadway revival, have featured an extension to the original ending. The "Theo ending" was originally conceived in 1998 by Mitch Sebastian. After the troupe shuns Pippin for not performing the grand finale, and he avers his contentment with a simple life with Catherine, Theo remains alone on stage and sings a verse of "Corner of the Sky," after which the Leading Player and the troupe return, backed by the "Magic to Do" melody, implying that the existential crisis at the heart of the play is part of a cycle and will now continue, but with Theo as the troupe's replacement for Pippin. Current productions vary between the two possible endings, though Schwartz himself has expressed his preference for the newer ending.[3]

Notes

In the original 1972 production, Fosse planned to use Stephen Schwartz's song "Marking Time," but before the show opened on Broadway the song was replaced with "Extraordinary."

The show premiered at the Imperial Theater on October 23, 1972, and ran for 1,944 performances before closing on June 12, 1977. It was directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. The original cast was led by Ben Vereen as the leading player, John Rubinstein as the title character, Eric Berry as Charlemagne, Leland Palmer as Fastrada, Christopher Chadman as Lewis, Irene Ryan as Berthe, Jill Clayburgh as Catherine, and Shane Nickerson as Theo.

Clive Barnes commented for The New York Times, "It is a commonplace set to rock music, and I must say I found most of the music somewhat characterless....It is nevertheless consistently tuneful and contains a few rock ballads that could prove memorable."[15] Advertising for the Broadway production broke new ground with the first TV commercial that actually showed scenes from a Broadway show.[16] The 60-second commercial showed Ben Vereen and two chorus dancers, Candy Brown and Pamela Sousa, in the instrumental dance sequence from "Glory." The commercial ended with the tagline, "You can see the other 119 minutes of Pippin live at the Imperial Theatre, without commercial interruption."

Musical theatre scholar Scott Miller said in his 1996 book, From Assassins to West Side Story, "Pippin is a largely under-appreciated musical with a great deal more substance to it than many people realize....Because of its 1970s pop style score and a somewhat emasculated licensed version for amateur productions, which is very different from the original Broadway production, the show now has a reputation for being merely cute and harmlessly naughty; but if done the way director Bob Fosse envisioned it, the show is surreal and disturbing."[17] Fosse introduced “quasi-Brechtian elements” [18] to empower audiences. Brecht's ‘distancing effect’ breaks the illusion of reality to encourage analysis of the play's meaning.[19] The ambiguity of Pippin's “trapped, but happy” line forces spectators to confront the frustrations of ordinary life as well as the fruitlessness of Pippin's attempt at revolution. Distancing empowers the spectator to think,[20] and moreover to decide for themselves.

The show opened in the West End at Her Majesty's Theatre on October 30, 1973, and ran for 85 performances.[21] Bob Fosse served as director and choreographer once again. The cast included by Northern Calloway as the Leading Player, Paul Jones as Pippin, John Turner as Charlemagne, Diane Langton as Fastrada, Elisabeth Welch as Berthe, and Patricia Hodge as Catherine.

The first national tour opened on September 20, 1974 at the Scranton Cultural Center. The production starred Irving Lee as the Leading Player, Barry Williams as Pippin, I. M. Hobson as Charlemagne, Louisa Flaningam as Fastrada, Adam Grammis as Lewis, Dortha Duckworth as Berthe, Carol Fox Prescott as Catherine, and Eric Brown as Theo. The production closed at The Playhouse on Rodney Square in Wilmington, Delaware on April 5, 1975.

A second tour starring Michael Rupert as Pippin, Larry Riley as the Leading Player, Eric Berry as Charles (reprising his role from the original Broadway cast), and Thelma Carpenter as Berthe opened at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera on August 2, 1977. The tour closed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion back in Los Angeles on August 26, 1978.

A third tour began opened on October 7, 2006 at the Eisenhower Hall Theatre in West Point, New York. The cast was led by Andre Ward as the Leading Player, Joshua Park as Pippin, Micky Dolenz as Charlemagne, Shannon Lewis as Fastrada, James Royce Edwards as Lewis, Teal Wicks as Catherine, and Jason Blaines as Theo. The production ended its run on January 15, 2007 at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The fourth US tour launched in September 2014, at the Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado with Sasha Allen as Leading Player, Kyle Selig as Pippin, John Rubinstein as Charles, Sabrina Harper as Fastrada, Kristine Reese as Catherine, and Lucie Arnaz as Berthe. Andrea Martin reprised her role as Berthe for the last two weeks of the San Francisco engagement and the entire Los Angeles engagement of the tour. In Dallas in summer of 2015 the role of Berthe was played by Adrienne Barbeau and Pippin by Sam Lips. Gabrielle McClinton (who performed the role on Broadway as Tony Award Winner Patina Miller's understudy) replaced Sasha Allen as Leading Player on July 29, 2015 in Chicago, and Brian Flores replaced Sam Lips as Pippin.

A new production was developed for the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The production was directed by Diane Paulus, with choreography by Chet Walker, scenic design by Scott Pask, costume design by Dominique Lemieux, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Clive Goodwin, orchestrations by Larry Hochman, music supervision by Nadia DiGiallonardo, and music direction by Charlie Alterman. Notable in this new production are its integration of illusions by Paul Kieve and circus acts created by Gypsy Snider and performed by the Montreal-based troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main. The cast was led by Matthew James Thomas as the title prince, Patina Miller as Leading Player, Andrea Martin as Berthe, Rachel Bay Jones as Catherine, Erik Altemus as Lewis, Terrence Mann as King Charles, Charlotte d'Amboise as Fastrada and Andrew Cekala as Theo. The players were Gregory Arsenal, Lolita Costet, Colin Cunliffe, Andrew Fitch, Orion Griffiths, Viktoria Grimmy, Olga Karmansky, Bethany Moore, Stephanie Pope, Philip Rosenberg, Yannick Thomas, Molly Tynes, and Anthony Wayne.[22] Miller was nervous to take on the role of the Leading Player, re-creating a character originated by the highly acclaimed Vereen. However, the challenge presented by such a role, and the representational power of the gender-blind casting, outweighed the apprehension. “I know there are people who wonder why the Leading Player has to be a woman this time, but one of the great things about revivals is to be able to do things in a new and exciting way,” Miller said.[23][24] Composer Stephen Schwartz was present to oversee the sitzprobe.[25] The production omits the first act number "Welcome Home."[26] The A.R.T. production opened on December 5, 2012 and ran through January 20, 2013. This production transferred to Broadway with an opening on April 25, 2013.

The production transferred to Broadway beginning with previews on March 23, 2013 at the Music Box Theatre, followed by an opening on April 25. The same cast that performed at the A.R.T. transferred to the Broadway production. Diane Paulus again directed, with circus choreography and acrobatics by Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider.[27] This revival won four categories at the 67th Tony Awards out of 10 nominations, including Best Revival, Best Leading Actress for Miller, Best Featured Actress for Martin, and Best Direction for Paulus. On April 1, 2014, the roles of Pippin and Leading Player were taken over by Kyle Dean Massey and Ciara Renée, respectively. The role of Berthe was taken over by Tovah Feldshuh, Annie Potts, and then Priscilla Lopez. On June 19, 2014 John Rubinstein, the original Pippin in 1972, replaced Terrence Mann in the role of Charles. From September 2, 2014 through September 21, 2014, the role of Berthe was played again by Andrea Martin, who won the Tony for her portrayal of Berthe in 2013. In September 2014, Carly Hughes replaced Ciara Renee as the Leading Player. In November, Josh Kaufman, winner of the sixth season of U.S. television series The Voice, took over the role of Pippin from Kyle Dean Massey.

The Broadway revival closed on January 4, 2015.

The original Australian production (a replica of the Broadway production) opened in February 1974 at Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. It starred John Farnham as Pippin, with Ronne Arnold as the Leading Player, Colleen Hewett as Catherine, Nancye Hayes as Fastrada, David Ravenswood as Charles and Jenny Howard as Berthe.[28] The production transferred to Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney in August 1974.[29] A cast album was released and it reached 60th on the Australian charts according to the (Kent Music Report).[30]

Following an 8-month suspension of theatrical performances due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Pippin was the first major musical to open in Australia, produced by the Gordon Frost Organisation at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney. Previews began 24 November with an official opening on 3 December 2020, and a planned closing on January 31, 2021.[31][32] The production reproduces the 2014 Broadway revival and is directed by Diane Paulus. It stars Ainsley Melham as the title character[33] and Gabrielle McClinton, reprising her Broadway role as Leading Player.[34] The cast also includes: Simon Burke as Charlemagne,[35] Lucy Maunder as Catherine, Leslie Bell as Fastrada, Euan Doidge as Lewis and Kerri-Anne Kennerley as Berthe.[36] Theo is alternated between Ryan Yates, George Halahan-Cantwell, Andrew Alexander and William Wheeler.[37] The production was criticized for failing to cast a local woman of colour as the Leading Player.[38]

In their 68th season, The Muny staged a production of Pippin, directed by Ben Vereen. Vereen also reprised his original role of the Leading Player. The production was choreographed by Cathryn Doby, who was also in the original production. The cast featured: Sam Scalamoni (Pippin), Betty Ann Grove (Berthe), Ginger Prince (Fastrada), Rae Norman (Catherine), and Ed Dixon (Charles).[39]

In June 2000, the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, New Jersey staged a revival with director Robert Johanson, choreographer, set design Michael Anania, costume design by Gene Meyer and Gregg Barnes, lighting design Kirk Bookman, and orchestrations by David Siegel. The cast starred Jim Newman (Lead Player), Ed Dixon (Charlemagne), Jack Noseworthy (Pippin), Natascia Diaz (Catherine), Sara Gettelfinger (Fastrada), Davis Kirby (Lewis), and Charlotte Rae (Berthe).[40]

In 2004, the first major New York revisitation of the show was featured as the second annual World AIDS Day Concert presented by Jamie McGonnigal. It featured Michael Arden as Pippin, Laura Benanti as Catherine, Julia Murney as Fastrada, Terrence Mann as Charlemagne, Charles Busch as Berthe, and the role of the Leading Player was split up among five actors including Rosie O'Donnell, Darius de Haas, Billy Porter, Kate Shindle and a surprise guest appearance by Ben Vereen, making his first New York stage appearance in over a decade.

In 2005, the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York staged a production starring BD Wong (Leading Player), Stephanie Pope (Fastrada), Anastasia Barzee (Catherine) and James Stanek (Pippin). The production ran from August 9, 2005 through September 4, 2005.

East West Players (EWP) produced a diverse and inclusive version of the musical featuring a cast with all artists of color as a part of their 42nd season under the artistic direction of Tim Dang. At the time, Pippin was the highest grossing production ever produced by EWP in their 50-year history[41] (later surpassed by Allegiance in 2018). Stephen Schwartz had reached out to Tim Dang on multiple occasions prior to the show's run, playfully noting that EWP had a penchant for hosting the works of Stephen Sondheim while "never [doing Schwartz's] work -- the other SS."[42] From this interaction, a new version of the musical was conceived.

As with other interpretations of this musical, the music and aesthetics of EWP's iteration were a vast departure from the original. Both aspects of the production were heavily inspired by the animated works of Shinichirō Watanabe, who is most well known for his work on the Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo; as such, the production incorporated aesthetic aspects of both anime and hip-hop.[42] The set, designed by Alan Muraoka, was constructed in the image of a dance club with characters sporting vibrantly colored costumes and slicked neon hairstyles. Dang saw this blend of cultural elements as a reflection of the youth at the time:

A lot of the younger audiences, the younger performers, don’t want to be defined by race anymore. They’re not necessarily Asian anymore, or African American or Latino. They’re this urban, metropolitan, cosmopolitan kind of generation.[42]

The show was produced in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum, from January 15, 2009, through March 15, 2009, in a radically different form. The play's setting was changed to reflect a modern tone and was subtly modified to include deaf actors using American Sign Language. The production was choreographed and directed by Jeff Calhoun for actors from both the Deaf West Theatre Company and the Center Theatre Group. The title character was played by Tyrone Giordano and was voiced by actor Michael Arden.[43] The Leading Player was played by Ty Taylor. The rest of the cast included Troy Kotsur as Charles (who was voiced by Dan Callaway), Sara Gettelfinger as Fastrada, Harriet Harris as Berthe, and Melissa van der Schyff as Catherine. Nicolas Conway and José F. Lopez Jr. alternated as the role of Theo (and they were voiced by Bryan Terrell Clark). The New York Times noted that the duality was required by the situation, but effectively showcased the character's "lack of a fixed self" in an exciting new fashion.[44][45]

The Menier Chocolate Factory opened a revival of Pippin on November 22, 2011. The cast was made up of Frances Ruffelle, Ian Kelsey, Matt Rawle, Carly Bawden, Ben Bunce, Louise Gold, Bob Harms, Harry Hepple, Holly James, Anabel Kutay, David McMullan, Stuart Neal, David Page, and Kate Tydman. The creative team was led by director/choreographer Mitch Sebastian.

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre produced and performed a version of Pippin that opened on September 14, 2012, and closed on October 7, 2012.[46] The score was adapted to reflect a punk-rock style by Curtis Moore. The cast included Wallace Smith as the Leading Player, Claybourne Elder as Pippin, John Hickok as Charles, Katie Kalahurka as Fastrada/Ensemble, Sam Cordes as Lewis, Mary Testa as Berthe, Katie Gilchrist as Catherine/Ensemble, and Utah Boggs as Theo. The ensemble was made up of Jennie Greenberry and Gil Perez-Abraham Jr.[46]

The creative team was headed by Director Eric Rosen, Production Stage Manager Samantha Greene, Music Director/Orchestrator/Arranger Curtis Moore, Choreography Chase Brock, Scenic Design Jack Magaw, Costumes Alison Heryer, Lighting Design Jason Lyons, and Sound Design Zachary Williamson.

Pippin, Venezuela, 2013

A Spanish-language version of Pippin, produced by the Lily Alvarez Sierra Company in Caracas, Venezuela, directed by César Sierra, opened on December 12, 2013. The cast featured Ruthsy Fuentes as the Leading Player, Wilfredo Parra as Pippin, Anthony LoRusso as Charlemagne, Marielena González as Fastrada, Orlando Alfonzo and Gerardo Lugo shared the role of Lewis, Violeta Alemán as Berthe, and Rebeca Herrera Martinez as Catherine.

In August 2017, a scaled down production opened at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. It featured a ten-person cast and a scaled down set to focus more on the story.[47][48] This production transferred in late February 2018 to the Southwark Playhouse in London for a limited run. The production starred Jonathan Carlton as Pippin and Genevieve Nicole as Leading Player.[49]

A Japanese-language version of Pippin, produced by Fuji-Television, Kyodo-Tokyo and Watanabe-Entertainment in Tokyo, directed by Diane Paulus, opened on June 10, 2019. It then commenced a tour in July in Nagaoya, Osaka and Shizuoka.[50] The cast featured Yu Shirota as Pippin, Crystal Kay as the Leading Player, Kiyotaka Imai as Charlemagne, Hiromu Kiriya as Fastrada, Ryosuke Okada as Lewis, Mie Nakao and Beverly Maeda shared the role of Berthe, Emma Miyazawa as Catherine, and Jian Kawai & Seishiro Higurashi shared the role of Theo.

In 1981, a stage production of Pippin was videotaped for Canadian television. The stage production was directed by Kathryn Doby, Bob Fosse's dance captain for the original Broadway production, and David Sheehan directed the video. Ben Vereen returned for the role of Leading Player, while William Katt played the role of Pippin. However, this version was a truncated adaptation and several sections of the play were cut.[52] In the Broadway version Pippin describes his emotions as "trapped, but happy," but in the video he says only "trapped." Originally, Catherine sings "I Guess I’ll Miss the Man" after Pippin departs, but this song does not appear in the video.[53]

Cast:

• Ben Vereen – Leading Player
• William Katt – Pippin
• Leslie Denniston – Catherine
• Benjamin Rayson – Charlemagne
• Martha Raye – Berthe
• Chita Rivera – Fastrada
• Christopher Chadman – Lewis

In 2003, Miramax acquired the feature film rights for Pippin, following the success of the film adaptation of the musical Chicago.

It was announced in April 2013 that The Weinstein Company has set director/screenwriter James Ponsoldt to pen and adapt the film.[54][55] In December 2014, Craig Zadan announced that his next project with coproducer Neil Meron would be Pippin, to be produced for The Weinstein Company.[56] In April 2018, the film rights have quietly reverted to Schwartz following The Weinstein Company's bankruptcy filing with the project being shopped to other studios.[57]