PIPPIN's Ending *Spoilers*

[maybethistime]

Posted: 8/11/06 at 11:17pm

I'm doing this show later in the year and I have a question regarding the show's ending.

*SPOILERS*

In the original production, and in an old version of the libretto/vocal book I have (which is from MTI) the ending is the classic, oft repeated "Pippin: Trapped... which isn't so bad for a musical comedy. Ta-da!" However, I've heard that there is a new ending as per Schwartz's wishes (or maybe MTI's?) that envolves Theo singing an a capella reprise of "Corner of the Sky". Can someone who's recently looked at MTI's current libretto tell me what the current standard ending in their scripts is? In gross detail, please! I'm a huge fan of the original ending, but if it's now updated and written differently in the libretto, I'm sure we'll be doing it that way. Thanks in advance!

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 8/11/06 at 11:19pm

I did the show about 10 years ago, and at that point it was the original classic ending.

[Act4ever]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 1:06am

I did the show a couple years ago and it was the "classic" ending in the libretto. However, I do believe there was a paper sent by MTI describing the alternate ending and that it could be used. I think the alternate ending is a much creepier way to end the show...

[Mattay015]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 1:08am

I just did the show this year and we used the original ending.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 1:30am

*Phew* Great. I was worried they were forcing people to use the revised ending. I sounds effective, but for notalgia's sake, I'm more a fan of the original.

[AberJ01]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 2:03am

I played the role of Pippin this past summer here in Chicago, and we actually used the alternate ending that you are mentioning. I actually got to meet Stephen Schwartz before doing the show and he said to definitely do it as well.

The best way I can describe it is in the original ending after the Leading Player and ensemble leave Pippin alone on stage with Catherine and Theo, that's when she turns to him and says "How Do You Feel", he replys "Trapped, which isn't to bad for the ending of a musical comedy" or something like that "Ta Da!", and show is over.

In the alternate ending as the Leading Player and ensemble exit the stage instead of Catherine saying her line to Pippin... Pippin takes her hand and starts singing a section from the Finale (acapella) " I wanted magic shows and miracles, Mirages to touch, I wanted such a little thing from life, I wanted so much, I never came close, my love, We never came near, It never was there, I think it was here..."... She smiles at him... grabs Theo's hand and as they all start to walk away "as a family"... Theo breaks away from Pippin takes center stage and starts singing the chorus of Corner of the Sky (acappella)... as the leading player and the rest of the ensemble hears Theo singing this... they come back out and surround Theo singing their "Ooooo's" from the beginning of Magic to Do, while Pippin and Catherine look on in like fright and as the ensemble gets closer and closer to Theo there's a black out and the show ends.

Basically it gives you the whole indication that the process will start in Theo soon, and he'll be searching for his Corner of the Sky soon, so all different types of temptations (aka the ensemble of the show!) can soon work their "Magic" on him and get him to do all kinds of things and try maybe the "ending" they had in mind (the lighting him on fire). Personally I think this ending is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the original ending, and in my opinion is quite powerful, and not as abrupt as the original. Sure it's creepy, even being on stage on closing night the ending still felt creepy on stage, but it was really a nice powerful moment, and true to life. If you get the chance to use that ending, it's worth it.

To answer your other question though, the alternate ending does not appear in the current MTI libretto/script. The original ending still appears in the libretto. I'm not exactly sure where the director got the alternate ending, whether it was from an outside source, or what have you, but to my knowledge there isn't even a mention of it in the current libretto.

Hope that helps!

[maybethistime]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 2:07am

Ooo! Wow! Thanks SO much! That alternate ending sounds very powerful, and I'm pretty sure Pippin sings "I wanted magic shows and miracles..." in both endings (it's in the original), but the Fosse-ness of the original is just so... Fosse and I love it. It'll be interesting to see what our director does.

[AberJ01]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 2:14am

Yeah, I couldn't remember whether or not Pippin sings that "I wanted Magic Shows and Miracles" part again or not in the original ending. He sings it once with music during the finale, but I suppose he did do it again acappella in both endings...

[gustof777]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 2:41am

Yeah a neighboring high school did the alternate ending two years ago and it was the first time I had seen the show. I knew the songs but had no clue what the show was about. I loved the show and for a while was obsessed with it and of course rented the VHS of it from the library and I was really taken abcack that they had a different ending. Then I learned about how that was the original ending and maybe it's because I saw the alternate first but I thought the original was one of the stupidest ways to end a show. I hated it. It was abrupt and very "and we're done" and not final at all. I thought the alternate ending was much more powerful and haunting. It really freaked me out in a good way and I would say the ending was one of my favorite parts of the peice (an I mean that as a compliment lol)

[AberJ01]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 2:53am

I agree 100% with Gustof777, and I actually saw the original ending first. Compared to the alternate ending, it's just really kind of cheap and abrupt. "Ta Da, we're done!". Too short, and really almost a flaw in the writing. There was really no finalizing to anything... Maybe that's why even Schwartz talks up the alternate ending...

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 10:40am

I recently saw a production down in New Orleans at summer lyric with the newly revised ending. I thought it was quite powerful and beautiful to behold. It ends the show on a much grander scale.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 8/12/06 at 10:49am

Correct me if I'm wrong but even the classic ending is Schwartzed. If memory serves Fosse wanted the show to end "Trapped." Done, lights out, just Trapped. But Schwartz added "...Which isn't too bad for a musical comedy." I know those lines were of great debate to the point where Fosse had Schwartz banned from all rehearsals. Now what the line was when the show actually opened, I have no idea.