PIPPIN in Los Angeles!!

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.

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

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.

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.

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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!

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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".

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

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I thought he was phenomenal!

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Do you think that this is headed to NY?

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.

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