Question about Pippin's Theo Ending and Deaf West

[Htomas]

Posted: 5/9/23 at 7:47pm

Hi all, first post here. A quick explanation. I am currently working on an extremely in depth history of Deaf Theatre and need some help in my quest to make sure everything is accurate.

Deaf West, the same company that did the Spring Awakening Broadway revival a few years back and is set to create the CODA musical adaptation, did a production of Pippin in 2009. In working on the section of my analysis revolving around this show, I learned about the alternate ending that was introduced. For the unaware, the original ending has Pippin Catherine and Theo end the show alone onstage, and the alternate ending, or the "Theo ending", has Pippin and Catherine exit, leaving Theo alone before he sings a section of Corner of the Sky and the players enter, welcoming him and assumedly staring the cycle all over again.

One of my issues here is, I can't find when the Theo ending started to be used more often as the preferred ending, I know it was used in the 2013 Broadway revival but it seems like it dates before that. What's even more frustrating for me is I don't know if this was the ending that Deaf West used in their production. This is information that will impact the plot synopsis and the way I explain the way Deafness and ASL were integrated into the show. 

So to make a long story short, I need help. If you saw the Deaf West production of Pippin in 2009, let me know if you remember them using this ending! If you know someone involved in that production, or even with connection to Deaf West, that can give me a lead on this, see if they can lend a hand in this search! Anything you can do that will give me the answer I need would be greatly appreciated!

I may end up posting other questions I can't find answers to as they come up too, so if you are interested in my analysis I'm creating of Deaf musical theatre, keep an eye out for me here I guess. Thank you all so much!

TLDR: If you can help me figure out if Deaf West's production of Pippin used the Theo ending or the original ending, let me know.

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/9/23 at 9:01pm

I dunno if Deaf West used it (I'd assume they did), but the "Theo ending" dates to a 1998 Edinburgh Fringe production directed by Mitch Sebastian. Stephen Schwartz saw it, liked it, and promptly adopted it into a revised pre-revival version of the show which debuted in a Paper Mill Playhouse production circa 2000 and was licensed by MTI before the revival became the settled version.

[roseaddams]

Posted: 5/9/23 at 9:40pm

I saw the Deaf West production at the Mark Taper Forum and am pretty sure it had the Theo ending. I don't think I've ever seen a production of the show that used the original ending.

[Dan6]

Posted: 5/9/23 at 10:16pm

I found this essay that answers your question at pp. 331-33.  I saw the Deaf West production at the Taper, and this is consistent with my recollection. 

https://scholarworks.csun.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/140635/Lim.pdf

Updated On: 5/9/23 at 10:16 PM

[Htomas]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 4:55pm

Dan6 said: "I found this essay that answers your question at pp. 331-33. I saw the Deaf West production at the Taper, and this is consistent with my recollection.

https://scholarworks.csun.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/140635/Lim.pdf"

Holy cow this is an amazing find! Thank you so much for this, it helps my research in so many ways!