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Pippin (musical)
Encyclopedia
Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
and a book by Roger O. Hirson
. Bob Fosse
, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto
. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning
and significance.
The protagonist, Pippin, and his father, Charlemagne
, derive their characters from two real-life individuals of the early Middle Ages
, though the plot presents very little historical accuracy regarding either. The show was partially financed by Motown Records
. As of July 2011, Pippin is the 31st longest-running Broadway show. Pippin was originally conceived by Stephen Schwartz as Pippin, Pippin, a student musical performed by Carnegie Mellon's Scotch'n'Soda
theatre troupe.
According to musical theatre scholar Scott Miller 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." Ben Vereen
won a Tony Award
for his portrayal of the Leading Player in the original Broadway production.
s in various costume pieces of several different time periods, establishing the play's intentionally anachronistic, defamiliarized
, unconventional feel. Channeling the style of Bertolt Brecht
, Hirson breaks the fourth wall, and the Leading Player and his troupe speak directly to the audience
. They invite members of the crowd to join them in a story about a boy prince searching for fulfillment
("Magic to Do
"). They reveal that the boy who is to play the title character is a new actor. Pippin tells the scholars of the time about his dreams ("Corner of the Sky"), and they happily applaud Pippin on his ambitious quest for an extraordinary life. Pippin then returns home to the castle and estate of Charlemagne
(King Charles), his father. Charles and Pippin don't get a chance to communicate often, as they are interrupted by nobles, soldiers, and courtiers vying for Charles' attention ("Welcome Home"), and Charles is clearly uncomfortable speaking with his educated son or expressing any loving emotions. 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 Charles to take him along so as to prove himself. Charles reluctantly agrees and proceeds to explain a battle plan to his men ("War is a Science").
Once in battle, the Leading Player re-enters to lead the troupe in a mock battle using top hats, canes, and fancy jazz
as to glorify war
fare and violence
("Glory"). Fosse's famous "Manson Trio" is performed by the Leading Player and his two lead dancers in the middle of this number. This charade of war does not appeal to Pippin, and the boy flees into the countryside. The Leading Player tells the audience of Pippin's travel through the country, until he stops at his exile
d grandmother's estate ("Simple Joys"). There, Berthe (his grandmother, and Charles's mother, exiled by Fastrada) tells Pippin not to be so serious and to live a little ("No Time At All"). She sings, "Oh, it's time to start livin'. Time to take a little from this world we're given. Time to take time, cause spring will turn to fall in just no time at all." Pippin takes this advice and decides to search for something a bit more lighthearted ("With You"). While he initially enjoys these meaningless sexual encounters, he soon discovers that relationships without love leave you "empty and unfulfilled."
The Leading Player then tells Pippin that perhaps he should fight tyranny, and uses Charles as a perfect example of an unenlightened tyrant to fight. Pippin plans a revolution
, and Fastrada is delighted to hear that perhaps Charles and Pippin will both perish so that her beloved Lewis can become king. Fastrada arranges the murder of Charles, and Pippin falls victim to her plot ("Spread a Little Sunshine"). While Charles is praying at Arles, Pippin murders him, and becomes the new king ("Morning Glow"). However, after petition
s from the masses, Pippin realizes that neither he nor his father could change society and had to act as tyrants. He begs the Leading Player to bring his slain father back to life, and the Leading Player does so. At this point in the currently licensed production, the Leading Player then introduces Pippin to The Finale.
Pippin is left without direction until the Leading Player inspires him ("On the Right Track"). After experimenting with art and religion, he falls into monumental despair and collapses on the floor. 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 to Pippin ("Kind of Woman"), a widow, with a small boy, Theo. From the start, it is clear that the Leading Player is concerned with Catherine's actual attraction to Pippin—after all, she is but a player playing a part in his yet-to-be-unfolded plan. At first, Pippin thinks himself above such boring manorial duties as sweeping, repairs, and milking cows ("Extraordinary"), but eventually he comforts Theo on the sickness and eventual death of his pet ("Prayer for a Duck") and warms up to the lovely 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 all suggest that Pippin complete the most perfect act ever: the Finale. They tell Pippin to jump into a box of fire, light himself up, and "become one with the flame." Pippin is reluctant at first, but slowly loses resistance ("Finale"), but he is stopped by his natural misgivings and also by one actress from the troupe—the woman playing Catherine. Catherine and her son Theo stand by Pippin and defy the script, the Leading Player, and Fastrada. Pippin comes to the realization that the widow's home was the only place where he was truly happy ("Magic Shows and Miracles") "…I never came close my love". Having experimented with every possible path to fulfillment, he feels humbled, and realizes that maybe the most fulfilling road of all is a modest, ordinary life. He comes to the conclusion that, while "settling down" may at times be mundane and boring, "if [he's] never tied to anything, [he'll] never be free." After removing the sets, lighting, makeup, and costumes from the stage (to no success at dissuading Pippin), 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 an empty, dark and silent stage: "You try singing without music, sweetheart!" 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. Well, perhaps. When Catherine asks him if he feels like a compromiser or a coward, he says no. But he does feel "trapped," and that, so he says, "isn't too bad for the end of a musical comedy."
* Introduced by Ben Vereen
in the Broadway
production and performed by Northern J. Calloway
in London.
†Introduced by John Rubinstein
in the title role on Broadway and performed by Paul Jones
in the London production. The song was covered by The Jackson 5
in 1972, and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording. A duet by Dusty Springfield
and Petula Clark
, whose vocals were recorded more than thirty years apart, is included on Clark's 2007 CD Duets.
‡Introduced by Irene Ryan
in the Broadway production and performed by Elisabeth Welch
in London.
** The song was covered
by Michael Jackson
(from his 1973 album Music and Me), and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
††The song was covered by The Supremes
in 1972, and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
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".
Original cast:
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." Advertising for the Broadway production broke new ground with the first TV commercial that actually showed scenes from a Broadway show. The commercial, which ran 120 seconds, showed Ben Vereen and two other dancers (Candy Brown and Pamela Sousa who were in the chorus of the show) in the instrumental dance sequence from "Glory". The commercial ended with the tagline, "If you liked this minute, just wait until you see the other 119 of them!"
Notable Broadway replacements include: Samuel E. Wright
, Northern J. Calloway and Ben Harney
as Leading Player; Michael Rupert
and Dean Pitchford
as Pippin; Betty Buckley
as Catherine; Dorothy Stickney
as Berthe; and Priscilla Lopez
as Fastrada.
at Her Majesty's Theatre
on October 30, 1973 and ran for 85 performances. Bob Fosse again was director and choreographer.
London cast:
It is to be revived at the Menier Chocolate Factory
in December 2011.
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
, who was voiced by actor Michael Arden
. 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.
Cast:
, 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 adaptation, with Roger O. Hirson
in charge of the music. 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.
Cast:
, Miramax
acquired the feature film
rights for Pippin, following the success of the musical, Chicago
. No details about the production, including casting or release dates, were announced. As of 2011, a film version has not been produced.
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
and a book by Roger O. Hirson
Roger O. Hirson
Roger O. Hirson is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his books of the Broadway musicals, Pippin, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and Walking Happy...
. Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning
Meaning of life
The meaning of life constitutes a philosophical question concerning the purpose and significance of life or existence in general. This concept can be expressed through a variety of related questions, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all about?", and "What is the meaning of it all?" It has...
and significance.
The protagonist, Pippin, and his father, Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, derive their characters from two real-life individuals of the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, though the plot presents very little historical accuracy regarding either. The show was partially financed by Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. As of July 2011, Pippin is the 31st longest-running Broadway show. Pippin was originally conceived by Stephen Schwartz as Pippin, Pippin, a student musical performed by Carnegie Mellon's Scotch'n'Soda
Scotch'n'Soda
Scotch'n'Soda is a student run theatre organization that resides on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Its initial dedication was the creation and production of original musicals, but due to declining student interest in writing musicals over the past decade, it has taken to performing both...
theatre troupe.
According to musical theatre scholar Scott Miller 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
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
envisioned it, the show is surreal and disturbing." Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for his portrayal of the Leading Player in the original Broadway production.
Synopsis
The play begins with a Leading Player of a troupe and the accompanying actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s in various costume pieces of several different time periods, establishing the play's intentionally anachronistic, defamiliarized
Defamiliarization
Defamiliarization or ostranenie is the artistic technique of forcing the audience to see common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar...
, unconventional feel. Channeling the style of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Hirson breaks the fourth wall, and the Leading Player and his troupe speak directly to the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
. They invite members of the crowd to join them in a story about a boy prince searching for fulfillment
Fulfillment
Fulfilment or fulfillment may refer to:* Fulfillment house, a type of company that specializes in order fulfillment* Order fulfillment, the activities performed once an order is received...
("Magic to Do
Magic to Do
"Magic to Do" is the opening song from the musical Pippin. It was introduced by Ben Vereen in the Broadway production and performed by Northern Calloway in London...
"). They reveal that the boy who is to play the title character is a new actor. Pippin tells the scholars of the time about his dreams ("Corner of the Sky"), and they happily applaud Pippin on his ambitious quest for an extraordinary life. Pippin then returns home to the castle and estate of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
(King Charles), his father. Charles and Pippin don't get a chance to communicate often, as they are interrupted by nobles, soldiers, and courtiers vying for Charles' attention ("Welcome Home"), and Charles is clearly uncomfortable speaking with his educated son or expressing any loving emotions. Pippin also meets up with his stepmother Fastrada
Fastrada
Fastrada was an East Frankish noblewoman.* In 783, Fastrada, along with other Saxon women, entered barebreasted into battle against Charlemagne's forces.She became the third wife of Charlemagne, marrying him in 784. She bore him two children:...
, and her dim-witted son Lewis
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
. Charles and Lewis are planning on going into battle against the Visigoths soon, and Pippin begs Charles to take him along so as to prove himself. Charles reluctantly agrees and proceeds to explain a battle plan to his men ("War is a Science").
Once in battle, the Leading Player re-enters to lead the troupe in a mock battle using top hats, canes, and fancy jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
as to glorify war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
fare and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
("Glory"). Fosse's famous "Manson Trio" is performed by the Leading Player and his two lead dancers in the middle of this number. This charade of war does not appeal to Pippin, and the boy flees into the countryside. The Leading Player tells the audience of Pippin's travel through the country, until he stops at his exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d grandmother's estate ("Simple Joys"). There, Berthe (his grandmother, and Charles's mother, exiled by Fastrada) tells Pippin not to be so serious and to live a little ("No Time At All"). She sings, "Oh, it's time to start livin'. Time to take a little from this world we're given. Time to take time, cause spring will turn to fall in just no time at all." Pippin takes this advice and decides to search for something a bit more lighthearted ("With You"). While he initially enjoys these meaningless sexual encounters, he soon discovers that relationships without love leave you "empty and unfulfilled."
The Leading Player then tells Pippin that perhaps he should fight tyranny, and uses Charles as a perfect example of an unenlightened tyrant to fight. Pippin plans a revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
, and Fastrada is delighted to hear that perhaps Charles and Pippin will both perish so that her beloved Lewis can become king. Fastrada arranges the murder of Charles, and Pippin falls victim to her plot ("Spread a Little Sunshine"). While Charles is praying at Arles, Pippin murders him, and becomes the new king ("Morning Glow"). However, after petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
s from the masses, Pippin realizes that neither he nor his father could change society and had to act as tyrants. He begs the Leading Player to bring his slain father back to life, and the Leading Player does so. At this point in the currently licensed production, the Leading Player then introduces Pippin to The Finale.
Pippin is left without direction until the Leading Player inspires him ("On the Right Track"). After experimenting with art and religion, he falls into monumental despair and collapses on the floor. 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 to Pippin ("Kind of Woman"), a widow, with a small boy, Theo. From the start, it is clear that the Leading Player is concerned with Catherine's actual attraction to Pippin—after all, she is but a player playing a part in his yet-to-be-unfolded plan. At first, Pippin thinks himself above such boring manorial duties as sweeping, repairs, and milking cows ("Extraordinary"), but eventually he comforts Theo on the sickness and eventual death of his pet ("Prayer for a Duck") and warms up to the lovely 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 all suggest that Pippin complete the most perfect act ever: the Finale. They tell Pippin to jump into a box of fire, light himself up, and "become one with the flame." Pippin is reluctant at first, but slowly loses resistance ("Finale"), but he is stopped by his natural misgivings and also by one actress from the troupe—the woman playing Catherine. Catherine and her son Theo stand by Pippin and defy the script, the Leading Player, and Fastrada. Pippin comes to the realization that the widow's home was the only place where he was truly happy ("Magic Shows and Miracles") "…I never came close my love". Having experimented with every possible path to fulfillment, he feels humbled, and realizes that maybe the most fulfilling road of all is a modest, ordinary life. He comes to the conclusion that, while "settling down" may at times be mundane and boring, "if [he's] never tied to anything, [he'll] never be free." After removing the sets, lighting, makeup, and costumes from the stage (to no success at dissuading Pippin), 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 an empty, dark and silent stage: "You try singing without music, sweetheart!" 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. Well, perhaps. When Catherine asks him if he feels like a compromiser or a coward, he says no. But he does feel "trapped," and that, so he says, "isn't too bad for the end of a musical comedy."
Alternate ending
The currently licensed edition of Pippin has a slightly different ending. After the troupe throws their gloves at Pippin, and he avers his contentment with a simple life with Catherine, Theo remains on stage, picks up a glove and sings a verse of "Corner of the Sky", after which the Leading Player and the troupe return onto the stage. The Leading Player reaches a hand out to Theo. Pippin and Catherine return, watching in fear, unable to do anything. The light on Theo becomes brighter, and presumably, the cycle continues. Blackout. Current productions vary between the two possible endings, though Schwartz himself has expressed his preference for the newer ending.Songs
Though Pippin is written to be performed in one act and its single-arc structure does not easily accommodate an intermission, many performances are broken into two acts. In the two-act version currently licensed by Musical Theatre International, the intermission comes after "Morning Glow", with an Act I finale – an abridged version of "Magic to Do" – inserted after Charles's resurrection. As with the new ending, the intermission can be added at the director's discretion without additional permission required.- Magic to DoMagic to Do"Magic to Do" is the opening song from the musical Pippin. It was introduced by Ben Vereen in the Broadway production and performed by Northern Calloway in London...
* – Leading Player and Ensemble - Corner of the Sky† – Pippin
- Welcome Home – Charlemagne
- War Is a Science – Charlemagne
- Glory – Leading Player and Ensemble
- Simple Joys – Leading Player
- No Time at All‡ – Berthe
- With You – Pippin
- Spread a Little Sunshine – Fastrada
- Morning Glow
** – Pippin and Ensemble
- On the Right Track – Leading Player and Pippin
- And There He Was - Catherine
- Kind of Woman – Catherine
- Extraordinary – Pippin
- Prayer for a Duck – Pippin
- Love Song – Pippin and Catherine
- I Guess I'll Miss the Man†† – Catherine
- Finale/Magic Shows and Miracles – Leading Player, Fastrada, Pippin and Ensemble
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production and performed by Northern J. Calloway
Northern Calloway
Northern James Calloway was an American actor who played David on Sesame Street from 1971 through 1989, and also voiced Muppet characters including Same Sound Brown....
in London.
†Introduced by John Rubinstein
John Rubinstein
John Arthur Rubinstein is an American film, Broadway, and television actor, a composer of film and theatre music, and a director in theatre and television.-Early life:...
in the title role on Broadway and performed by Paul Jones
Paul Jones (singer)
Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...
in the London production. The song was covered by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
in 1972, and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording. A duet by Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
and Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
, whose vocals were recorded more than thirty years apart, is included on Clark's 2007 CD Duets.
‡Introduced by Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan
Irene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
in the Broadway production and performed by Elisabeth Welch
Elisabeth Welch
thumb|right|200pxElisabeth Welch was an American born singer, actress, and entertainer whose career spanned seven decades, many years of which she was based in Britain....
in London.
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
(from his 1973 album Music and Me), and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
††The song was covered by The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
in 1972, and is included as a bonus track on the 2000 CD release of the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
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".
Broadway
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.Original cast:
- Eric BerryEric Berry (actor)- Biography :Eric Berry was born in London on 9 January 1913 to parents Frederick William Berry and Anna Lovisa Danielson. He attended the City of London School and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Berry was briefly married to actress Constance Carpenter...
– Charles - Jill ClayburghJill ClayburghJill Clayburgh was an American actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles in An Unmarried Woman and Starting Over.-Personal life:...
– Catherine - Leland PalmerLeland Palmer (actress)Leland Palmer is an American actress, dancer, and singer who has appeared on stage, in motion pictures, and on television. She appeared on Broadway in Bajour, A Joyful Noise, Hello, Dolly!, Applause, and Pippin...
– Fastrada - Irene RyanIrene RyanIrene Ryan was an American actress, one of the few entertainers who found success in vaudeville, radio, film, television and Broadway....
– Berthe (until Ryan's death in April 1973) - Ben VereenBen VereenBen Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
– Leading Player - John RubinsteinJohn RubinsteinJohn Arthur Rubinstein is an American film, Broadway, and television actor, a composer of film and theatre music, and a director in theatre and television.-Early life:...
– Pippin
Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes (critic)
Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...
commented for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "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." Advertising for the Broadway production broke new ground with the first TV commercial that actually showed scenes from a Broadway show. The commercial, which ran 120 seconds, showed Ben Vereen and two other dancers (Candy Brown and Pamela Sousa who were in the chorus of the show) in the instrumental dance sequence from "Glory". The commercial ended with the tagline, "If you liked this minute, just wait until you see the other 119 of them!"
Notable Broadway replacements include: Samuel E. Wright
Samuel E. Wright
Samuel E. Wright is an American film and theater actor and singer who is best known as the voice of Sebastian in Disney's The Little Mermaid, for which he provided the main vocals to "Under the Sea", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He also voiced Kron in Disney's CGI film...
, Northern J. Calloway and Ben Harney
Ben Harney (actor)
Ben Harney is an African American actor and dancer who was active in his career between 1972 and 1985. Harney won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as the Berry Gordy-esque character, Curtis Taylor, Jr. in the Broadway musical...
as Leading Player; Michael Rupert
Michael Rupert
Michael John Rupert is an American actor, singer, director and composer.Rupert made his Broadway debut in 1968 in Kander and Ebb's The Happy Time where he received his first Tony nomination...
and Dean Pitchford
Dean Pitchford
Dean Pitchford is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, seven Grammy Awards and two Tony Awards.-Early life:Pitchford was born in...
as Pippin; Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Lynn Buckley is an American theater, film and television actress and singer. She is a Tony Award winner and Grammy Award nominee.-Early life:...
as Catherine; Dorothy Stickney
Dorothy Stickney
Dorothy Stickney was a Broadway actress best known for appearing in the long running Life with Father.Born in Dickinson, North Dakota, Stickney attended the North Western Dramatic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
as Berthe; and Priscilla Lopez
Priscilla Lopez
Priscilla Lopez is an American singer, dancer, and actress.-Early life:Lopez was born in the Bronx, New York to Francisco Lopez, a hotel banquet foreman and Laura , who were moved to New York from their native Puerto Rico...
as Fastrada.
London
The show opened in the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
on October 30, 1973 and ran for 85 performances. Bob Fosse again was director and choreographer.
London cast:
- John TurnerJohn TurnerJohn Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
– Charlemagne - Patricia HodgePatricia HodgePatricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...
– Catherine - Diane LangtonDiane LangtonDiane Langton is an English actress and singer.She has appeared in numerous TV shows like Only Fools and Horses, where she played Junie, an old girlfriend of Del Boy's, in the 1980s....
– Fastrada - Elisabeth WelchElisabeth Welchthumb|right|200pxElisabeth Welch was an American born singer, actress, and entertainer whose career spanned seven decades, many years of which she was based in Britain....
– Berthe - Isaiah Boyd – Leading Player
- Paul JonesPaul Jones (singer)Paul Jones is an English singer, actor, harmonica player, and radio personality and television presenter.-Career:As P. P...
– Pippin
It is to be revived at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Menier Chocolate Factory
The Menier Chocolate Factory is an award-winning 180 seat fringe studio theatre, restaurant and gallery. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory in Southwark Street, a major street in the London Borough of Southwark, central south London, England. The theatre stages plays...
in December 2011.
Other productions
In 2004, the first major New York revisitation of the show was featured as the second annual World AIDS Day Concert. It featured Michael Arden as Pippin, Laura Benanti as Catherine, Julia Murney as Fastrada, Terrence Mann as Charlemagne, and the role of the Leading Player was split up among five actors including Rosie O'Donnell, Darius deHaas, Billy Porter, Kate Shindle and a surprise guest appearance by Ben Vereen.The show was produced in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum
Mark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
, 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
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. The production was choreographed and directed by Jeff Calhoun
Jeff Calhoun (choreographer)
Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.As a student at Richland High School, now Pine-Richland High School , Calhoun was interested in both athletics and performance, playing football and studying tap dance. He danced in the ensemble at The Kenley Players in Ohio...
for actors from both the Deaf West Theatre
Deaf West Theatre
Deaf West Theatre Company is a North Hollywood, California-based cultural institution serving as a model for deaf theatre worldwide. Founded in 1991, by Ed Waterstreet, it is noted for being the first professional resident Sign Language Theatre in the western half of the United States...
Company and the Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre...
. The title character was played by Tyrone Giordano
Tyrone Giordano
Tyrone Giordano is a deaf American actor.An alumnus of Montgomery Blair High School and Gallaudet University, he began acting in Washington, DC in 1999...
, who was voiced by actor Michael Arden
Michael Arden
Michael Jerrod Moore , also known as Michael Arden, is an American stage actor, singer, and composer. He was born in Midland, Texas.-Early and personal life:...
. 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.
Cast:
- Michael ArdenMichael ArdenMichael Jerrod Moore , also known as Michael Arden, is an American stage actor, singer, and composer. He was born in Midland, Texas.-Early and personal life:...
and Tyrone GiordanoTyrone GiordanoTyrone Giordano is a deaf American actor.An alumnus of Montgomery Blair High School and Gallaudet University, he began acting in Washington, DC in 1999...
(Pippin) - Dan Callaway (Voice of Charles/Soldier)
- Bryan Terrell Clark (Voice of Theo/Noble)
- Nicolas Conway/José F. Lopez Jr. (Theo)
- Rodrick Covington (Voices of Torch Bearer Noble and Couriers No. 2 and No. 3/Courier No. 1)
- James Royce Edwards (Lewis)
- Sara GettelfingerSara GettelfingerSara Gettelfinger is American actress, singer, and dancer.-Early life and education:Gettelfinger was raised in Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. She graduated from the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School in 1995...
(Fastrada) - Harriet Harris (Berthe)
- Troy KotsurTroy Kotsur-Personal life:Kotsur was born and raised in the city of Mesa, Arizona. He has been deaf since his birth. He went to Gallaudet University to major in Theater from 1987-1989...
(Charles) - John McGinty (Noble/Courier No. 2/Peasant)
- Anthony Natale (Torch Bearer/Petitioner/Courier No. 3)
- Aleks Pevec (Voices of Petitioner and Peasant/Visigoth Head)
- Ty TaylorTy TaylorTy Taylor is an American musician best known for being the guitarist and vocalist of R&B group Dakota Moon and was also a contestant on the reality TV show Rock Star: INXS. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist for Los Angeles based Soul/Rock band, Vintage Trouble...
(Leading Player) - Melissa van der Schyff (Catherine)
- Alexandria Wailes (Visigoth Arm)
- Brad Pitt (Willy)
Awards and nominations
1973 Tony Awards- Best Musical (nominee)
- Best Book of a Musical (Roger O. Hirson, nominee)
- Best Original Score (Stephen Schwartz, nominee)
- Best Actor in a Musical (Ben Vereen, winner)
- Best Actress in a Musical (Leland Palmer, nominee)
- Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Irene Ryan, nominee)
- Best Scenic Design (Tony Walton, winner)
- Best Costume Design (Patricia Zipprodt, nominee)
- Best Lighting Design (Jules Fisher, winner)
- Best Choreography (Bob Fosse, winner)
- Best Direction of a Musical (Bob Fosse, winner)
1981 video
In 19811981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
, a stage production of Pippin was videotaped for Canadian television
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
. The stage production was directed by Kathryn Doby, Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
's dance captain for the original Broadway production, and David Sheehan
David Sheehan
David Sheehan has distinguished himself in the world of broadcasting with a series of trailblazing television firsts. Starting in 1970 on CBS, Sheehan was the first movie/television show reviewer/interviewer on a daily local newscast...
directed the video adaptation, with Roger O. Hirson
Roger O. Hirson
Roger O. Hirson is an American dramatist and screenwriter best known for his books of the Broadway musicals, Pippin, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and Walking Happy...
in charge of the music. Ben Vereen returned for the role of Leading Player, while William Katt
William Katt
William Theodore Katt is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero. He is also known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the film version of Carrie and Paul Drake Jr. in the Perry Mason TV movies...
played the role of Pippin. However, this version was a truncated adaptation and several sections of the play were cut.
Cast:
- Ben VereenBen VereenBen Vereen is an American actor, dancer, and singer who has appeared in numerous Broadway theatre shows. Vereen graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts.- Early years :...
– Leading Player - William KattWilliam KattWilliam Theodore Katt is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero. He is also known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the film version of Carrie and Paul Drake Jr. in the Perry Mason TV movies...
– Pippin - Leslie Denniston – Catherine
- Benjamin Rayson – Charlemagne
- Martha RayeMartha RayeMartha Raye was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies, and later on television....
– Berthe - Chita RiveraChita RiveraChita Rivera is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award...
– Fastrada - Christopher ChadmanChristopher ChadmanChristopher Chadman was an American dancer and choreographer who was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards and was the winner of the Fred Astaire Award for his choreography for the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls.Born in the Bronx, Chadman studied at the High School of...
– Lewis
Feature film
In 20032003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
, Miramax
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
acquired the feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
rights for Pippin, following the success of the musical, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
. No details about the production, including casting or release dates, were announced. As of 2011, a film version has not been produced.
External links
- Pippin at Music Theatre InternationalMusic Theatre InternationalMusic Theatre International, often abbreviated MTI, is a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City. The League of American Theatres and Producers calls MTI "A leader in the theatrical licensing industry."-Description:...
- Pippin: An Analysis at New Line TheatreNew Line TheatreNew Line Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, is an alternative musical theatre company producing challenging, adult, politically and socially relevant works of musical theatre...
- Pippin cast recording at Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
- Pippin Moves from the Stage to the Big Screen
- Video of the original commercial