Musical (1972)


Musique: Stephen Schwartz
Paroles: Stephen Schwartz
Livret: Roger O. Hirson
Production à la création:

Version 1

Pippin (1972-10-Broadway Run)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Broadway Run (Broadway - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 4 ans 7 mois 3 semaines
Nombre : 5 previews - 1944 représentations
Première Preview : mercredi 18 octobre 1972
Première : lundi 23 octobre 1972
Dernière : dimanche 12 juin 1977
Mise en scène : Bob Fosse
Chorégraphie : Bob Fosse
Producteur :
Avec : Leading Player ... Ben Vereen / Pippin ... John Rubinstein / Charles ... Eric Berry / Lewis ... Christopher Chadman / Fastrada ... Leland Palmer / Musician ... John Mineo / The Head ... Roger Hamilton / Berthe ... Irene Ryan / Beggar ... Richard Korthaze / Peasant ... Paul Solen
Commentaires : Imperial Theatre: 23/10/1972 - 13/3/1977
Minskoff Theatre: 15/3/1977 - 12/6/1977

The man 'born to be King' or rather Emperor, has a problem - boredom. Pippin, eldest son of Charlemagne, tired of books, war, love and politics, in his quest for happiness finally finds fulfilment only in peaceful domesticity. This brilliant score is set in the dazzling court of the 8th Century Holy Roman Emperor.

Once upon a time, the young prince Pippin longed to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfilment. He sought it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, he found it in the simple pleasures of home and family.

Synopsis complet

The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance 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.



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 Do* – 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

* 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".

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Pippin


Version 1

Pippin (1972-10-Broadway Run)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Broadway Run (Broadway - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 4 ans 7 mois 3 semaines
Nombre : 5 previews - 1944 représentations
Première Preview : mercredi 18 octobre 1972
Première : lundi 23 octobre 1972
Dernière : dimanche 12 juin 1977
Mise en scène : Bob Fosse
Chorégraphie : Bob Fosse
Producteur :
Avec : Leading Player ... Ben Vereen / Pippin ... John Rubinstein / Charles ... Eric Berry / Lewis ... Christopher Chadman / Fastrada ... Leland Palmer / Musician ... John Mineo / The Head ... Roger Hamilton / Berthe ... Irene Ryan / Beggar ... Richard Korthaze / Peasant ... Paul Solen
Commentaires : Imperial Theatre: 23/10/1972 - 13/3/1977
Minskoff Theatre: 15/3/1977 - 12/6/1977

Version 2

Pippin (1973-10-Her Majesty's Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original London
Théâtre: Her Majesty's Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)

Durée :
Nombre : 85 représentations
Première Preview : mardi 30 octobre 1973
Première : mardi 30 octobre 1973
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Bob Fosse
Chorégraphie : Bob Fosse
Producteur :
Avec : Norman J. Calloway (Leading Player) , Paul Jones (Pippin) , John Turner (Charlelemagne ), Bobby Bannerman (Lewis), Diane Langton (Fastrada), Elisabeth Welch (Berthe)
Commentaires : This was an anti-war story in a commedia-dell-arte style, reminiscent of the “flower power” philosophy of the recent past, and was a great success on Broadway, running for 1.944 performances. The London production was an expensive flop.

Version 3

Pippin (1974-02-Theater an der Wien-Vienne)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Theater an der Wien (Vienne - Autriche)
Durée :
Nombre : 75 représentations
Première Preview : dimanche 10 février 1974
Première : dimanche 10 février 1974
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Bob Fosse
Chorégraphie : Bob Fosse • Rolf Kutschera
Producteur :

Version 4

Pippin (2004-12-Union Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Union Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 1 mois
Nombre :
Première Preview : jeudi 09 décembre 2004
Première : jeudi 09 décembre 2004
Dernière : samedi 08 janvier 2005
Mise en scène : Ben De Winter • Sasha Regan
Chorégraphie :
Producteur :
Avec : Andrew Whitlaw (Leading Player), Daniel Lane (Pippin), Adam Booth (Charlemagne), Jasper Hone (Lewis), Sioned Jones (Fastrada), Susan Travers (Berthe), Charlotte Marisa Moore (Catherine), Bryony Hannah (Theo)
Commentaires : This was a slightly tongue-in-cheek revival of the show, framing it as a show within a show, for example, using the device of a glove puppet for the scene where Theo’s duck dies, and slightly sending up the over-sentimental parts of the show.

Version 5

Pippin (2011-12-Menier Chocolate Factory-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Menier Chocolate Factory (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 2 mois 2 semaines
Nombre : 15 previews - 80 représentations
Première Preview : mardi 22 novembre 2011
Première : mercredi 07 décembre 2011
Dernière : samedi 25 février 2012
Mise en scène :
Chorégraphie : Bob Fosse
Producteur :
Avec : Matt Rawle (Leading Player) , Harry Hepple (Pippin) , Ian Kelsey (Charlemagne ), David McMullan (Lewis), Louise Gold (Berthe), Frances Ruffelle (Fastrada), Stuart Neal (Theo), Carly Bawden (Catherine), Ben Bunce, Bob Harms, Holly James, Anabel Kutay, Kate Tydman
Commentaires : This was a love-it-or-hate-it revival. It was completely re-thought as a present-day video game, played by a present-day Pippin, with the Leading Player “guiding” him through the various “levels”: family, violence, orgiastic sex, religious quest, ordinary life and a grim suicidal interlude. Set in an adolescent boy’s bedroom, it is filled with elaborate projections, light displays, neon laser beams and hi-tech visual trickery. It was also very, very loud! After the first month the role of Berthe was played by a series of performers, Caroline Quentin, Gay Soper, Josie Lawrence and then back to Louise Gold for the last two weeks. It previewed from November 22 nd, and collected strongly polarised notices: “Up Allegory Creek without a paddle. . . excruciatingly fey” (Times), “staggeringly incoherent” (Financial Times), “ a bold, radical revival with a certain dizzying appeal” (Time Out)

Version 6

Pippin (2013-04-Music Box Theatre-Broadway)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Music Box Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 1 an 8 mois 2 semaines
Nombre :
Première Preview : samedi 23 mars 2013
Première : jeudi 25 avril 2013
Dernière : dimanche 04 janvier 2015
Mise en scène : Diane Paulus
Chorégraphie : Chet Walker
Producteur :
Avec : Matthew James Thomas (Pippin), Patina Miller (Leading Player), Terrence Mann (Charles), Charlotte d’Amboise (Fastrada), Rachel Bay Jones (Catherine), Andrea Martin (Berthe), Erik Altemus (Lewis), Gregory Arsenal, Andrew Cekala, Lolita Costet, Colin Cunliffe, Andrew Fitch, Orion Griffiths, Viktoria Grimmy, Olga Karmansky, Bethany Moore, Brad Musgrove, Stephanie Pope, Philip Rosenberg, Yannick Thomas, Molly Tynes and Anthony Wayne.

Version 7

Pippin (2021-06-Charing Cross Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Charing Cross Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 3 mois
Nombre :
Première Preview : mercredi 30 juin 2021
Première : mercredi 30 juin 2021
Dernière : dimanche 03 octobre 2021
Mise en scène : Steven Dexter
Chorégraphie :
Producteur :
Avec : Ryan Anderson (Pippin), Ian Carlyle (Leading Player), Alex James-Hatton (Lewis), Daniel Krikler (Charles), Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson (Fastrada), Natalie McQueen (Catherine), Genevieve Nicole (Berthe) et Jaydon Vijn (Theo).
Commentaires : The Menier Chocolate Factory's new version has been completely re-conceived, directed and choreographed, incorporating Bob Fosse's original Tony Award-winning routines, by Mitch Sebastian.

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