Pippin

[porschesrule]

Playbill has an article about a new London production of "Pippin", which originally premiered in 1972 on Broadway. London's Menier Chocolate Factory will present the production that is being billed as "high concept" and is set to incorporate Bob Fosse's original Tony-wining choreography. Newly directed by Mitch Sebastian, it will begin performances Nov. 22, prior to an official opening Dec. 7, for a run through Feb. 25, 2012.

I loved this show when I saw it back in 1972 at, ironically, the Imperial Theatre on Broadway - with Ben Vereen as the "Leading Player", Irene Ryan as "Berthe" (her last performance on Broadway as she died during her run with the show) and newcomer John Rubenstein as "Pippin". The choreography was outstanding as Bob Fosse's Tony award for it attests. It also had a short run in London in 1973.

An interesting sentence from the article: The Menier's previous Christmas musicals have included "Sunday in the Park with George", "La Cage aux Folles" and "A Little Night Music", all of which subsequently transferred to the West End and Broadway.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/15 ... Ws.twitter

[angelenroute]

An interesting sentence from the article: The Menier's previous Christmas musicals have included "Sunday in the Park with George", "La Cage aux Folles" and "A Little Night Music", all of which subsequently transferred to the West End and Broadway.

Ahhhhh that would be awesome if it came to Broadway! With Godspell and soon Jesus Christ Superstar coming back to Broadway, I'm finally going to get a chance to live some of the Broadway-past euphoria I have only enjoyed on CDs (earlier tapes and records) in the past. And I hope our friends here in England and Europe will be able to add this show to their London itinerary soon!

Sean

[Todd]

If I had to rank my Top 5 favorite musicals of all-time, they would be:

1) Billy Elliot
2) Children of Eden
3) Godspell
4) Oliver
5) Pippin

As you can see, I'm quite a fan of Stephen Schwartz, since #2, #3 and #5 on my list are his shows. Ironically, his biggest hit - "Wicked" - would be further down my list. Would have loved to have seen "Pippin" on Broadway. I would encourage any musical theater fans to see it during its run in London.

[porschesrule]

As I posted earlier in this thread, Pippin is one of my all-time favorite Broadway shows. It rain

In 1981, a stage production of Pippin was videotaped for Canadian television.

Ben Vereen, who played the "Leading Player" both originating the role on Broadway and in the Canadian TV version. He's featured in the opening number from the show called "Magic to Do":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADeU6qz3 ... 08947AB1FB

John Rubenstein originated the role of Pippin on Broadway, but I couldn't find him performing any numbers from the show except just audio versions. William Katt played the role in the Canadian TV version. Here he sings the signature number from the show "Corner of the Sky":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX6tBAyy ... re=related

And here' the maestro himself, Stephen Schwartz, explaining how "Corner of the Sky" originated and performing it for a live audience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Pt1DHF ... re=related