Le monde des musicals

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.

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".

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