PIPPIN in Los Angeles!!

[SimpleJoysHaveSimpleVoice]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 5:36pm

I was at Saturday's show and just had to share what a great time it was. The show is amazing. Top shelf!! (For Los Angeles theater) Michael Arden is outstanding, his entrance was original, and carries the relationships with the Leading Player, his dad the King, Theo, and Cathrine is a strong fashion. This show and company has legs and could have run with it for a long time.

But the best part of the day was the Q&A time after with the cast. The shared thoughts and precious moments in their lives. Then most of them stuck around for private conversations with those of us from the audience that were still hanging around. I had a good talk with Michael, couldn't believe he is so young and doesn't have a job lined up, and spent some time with Graham Phillips. Graham, 11 years old, with a strong voice that carried the NEW Pippin ending and, with Michael, had me in tears in the finale. I really like the new ending and was glad to hear that Stephen Schwartz re-wrote it.

Thank you for listening to a first time poster, even though I have been reading you guys daily of quite awhile. God Bless.

[mallardo]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 7:15pm

Glad you enjoyed it. I also thought the new ending - with the boy, Theo, suddenly taking up the Corner of the Sky theme - really worked and brought the show full circle. What a voice on that kid!

Posted: 2/7/05 at 7:18pm

Mallardo - agreed about the voice on the kid! And we almost passed out laughing through the whole 'boy and his duck' segment.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 7:49pm

"Top shelf!! (For Los Angeles theater)"
There is no need for the parenthetical remark. L.A. theater has nothing to apologize for, and this Reprise production can stand up to any show anywhere...plus the cast had only a week and a half to rehearse. That is true professionalism!

Posted: 2/7/05 at 8:05pm

eslgr8 - Thanks for saying that. Our calendar remains pretty full with live performance here in the Southland, and many more times than not it's really very good.

[LightMyCandle125]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 9:19pm

i was at the saturday performance also! i loved the q & a session, especially when graham was like: when i started acting, i didn't know what broadway was...so pass. (i'm assuming you attended the matinee.) i wish i could have stuck around to chat with michael and sam. both of their voices just take my breath away.

welcome to the boards!

[SimpleJoysHaveSimpleVoice]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 10:35pm

I agree with you about the quality of Pippin, but I would like to clarify my remark about Los Angeles theater.

I have experienced over 25 years of Los Angeles theater, the good and the bad, and it is no secret that New York theater has a genuine advantage. Pippin was one of the top productions I have ever seen. But in my trip last year to New York I experienced several top notch productions.

Maybe this is a quantity versus quality type of statement. But in no way was I trying to degrade LA theater.

[arden love]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 10:42pm

I was there also.. such an amazing performance.

However, I wasn't at all pleased with the audience. They seemed to be somewhat slow with understanding the jokes, and the applause was weak.

All in all, it was amazing nontheless. Sam and Michael are two truly amazing talents.

[shira467]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 5:50am

Even though I hate the book of the show, the talent is marvelous. And between Graham Phillips and Harrison Chad, and Mitchel David Federan, we have a crop of boys who will hopefully be the future of musical theater!

[SimpleJoysHaveSimpleVoice]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 12:25pm

Light My Candle...it was an awesome performance. It had my wife wondering if anyone had recorded it, legal or illegally, somehow.

Spending time with the cast after the Q&A was an accident. My wife was getting a few autographs when Graham Phillips saw her and asked her if she wanted to get the entire casts autographs...she said yes, then he shot backstage for 5 minutes and came out with a newly signed poster with the cast autographs!! We eneded up seeing the cast come out for dinner and talking with most of them, they were friendly, no attitudes.

Graham's generosity assured me that he has the proper attitude to make it. It was good to talk to him, since we have a 9 year old, and see what his perspective was about what he does.

See you soon, in the L.A. theater scence!!

[mallardo]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 1:14pm

Shira467, if you're talking about talented kids don't forget to add young William Ullrich, so great in the Nine revival and in the Encores' Bye Bye Birdie where he stopped the show when he let loose in "Kids".

[got-a-light]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 2:26pm

This production of Pippin was so great... i actually went twice!

All I can say is wow!!! The cast was A+++++, the dancing was awesome and the voices were perfection!

I am not always a fan of Reprise, but they out did themselves this time!

[shira467]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 4:49pm

I didn't see Nine (serious regret over that), but I did see Birdie - he was great!

[AnothaPartofMe]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 6:22pm

How was Sam Harris as the LP?

[shira467]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 6:40pm

I thought he was phenomenal!

[mallardo]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:15pm

Sam was very good but he played it VERY dark - which is a legitimate choice and, I assume, the way the director wanted it.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:18pm

Do you think that this is headed to NY?

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:24pm

We're going to the ASCAP workshop the next two nights, and I'm hoping to talk to Mr. Schwartz and see what he has in mind, if anything.

As to Mr. Harris, we saw it Friday night, and even though it appeared he hadn't exactly warmed up very well, he did ease into things vocally as the evening progressed. And while it's obvious that dance isn't his primary focus, I thought he acquitted himself very nicely - especially considering the limited rehearsal time.

It did seem that Pippin became more of the focus, which was probably due to Mr. Arden's extraordinary stage presense and more than substantial singing. If they DO produce this beyond this level, I can't see any reason not to keep him involved. He really did provide a very solid foundation for the piece - and it needs that. Updated On: 2/8/05 at 10:24 PM

[LightMyCandle125]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:19pm

sadly, i don't know if this will be making it to ny. i was talking with somebody who works at reprise! and he told me that since abe (lewis) is headed to do the producers movie and one of the players will join the national tour of mamma mia, it wouldn't have the full cast if it heads to ny in the near future. but who knows? miracles happen. plus, any broadway producer would be lucky to get michael arden on their stage soon.

simplejoys-awesome story! that was so sweet of graham to get the poster. i saw them being sold, but it sounds like you and your wife got vip treatment.