Pippin - Why the Adoration?

[shira467]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 2:33am

So I finally bought myself a ticket, and saw the Reprise! revival of "Pippin" at UCLA.

Now, I adore Michael Arden, Sam Harris was great, and the talent was marvelous. I enjoyed "Corner of the Sky", and many of the songs.

But what the heck is the point of this show? It felt jumbled together, and the ending, while making sense, comes together very oddly, if at all, and only because of breaking the 4th wall. I want to understand the appeal of this show, and I'm afraid I'm not.

So I ask, why the adoration?

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 2:35am

The score is amazing

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 5:31am

The *underated* score is a huge draw--at the time it came out it [the score] got horrendously mean spirited reviews. The other draw of course is/was Fosse's amazingly clever/brilliant staging and choreography. I dunno how much, if any was kept for reprise (they do them semi staged right?) but the prob with Pippin is Schwartzand the librettist wrote it as a small scale college show--Fosse saw its only chance for success as a huge full out specatcle that, similar to Chicago, in many ways was a salute to the past of different theatrical traditions (the misntrel line for King Charlemagne's song, etc).

Because of this the show (libretto) and its staging don't ever really properly mesh--and it can seem like a LOT of style over substance--but it also can be an incredible piece of theatre. try to track down the DVD of the touring production which sadly cut about 20 minutes of the show (for some reason) but at leat preserves a lot of the original piece

E

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 8:19am

I saw the original production and hated it, except for Irene Ryan and her number. Seriously, I didn't get the adoration at the time. People, my own wife included, just loved it.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 8:20am

I just recently bought the DVD, and was surprised. I had owned the video for years, and hated that it was edited. My DVD version, however was not. I didn't realise that I was missing 20 more minutes from this show.

It's weird. I liked the ending of the edited version, and wasn't fond of it on the DVD (They do both end differently.)
The last line through me off. All in all, I really like this show. I think it tells a good story, and is one of Schwartz's best scores.

The meaning is simple. It's just like every typical Dorothy going no further than her own backyard to find her heart's desire plot. It's about a man trying to find his purpose in life - A Play within a play where both the actor playing Pippin, and Pippin are both searching for the same thing. of course, when I watched it a coupla times high, I had found different meanings - for instance - The Leading Player is that voice inside of our heads that is trying to hold us down from success, etc. Or the religious undertones - there's so much...

Whatever. I still find this to be one of my favorite plays, as well as a role I hope to play someday (hopefully SOON, as I am getting older)

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 8:45am

re the title of this thread: ExACTly.

[BroadwayBound06]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 9:58am

If you go to Fosse's website, there is an article on Pippin taken from From Assassins to West Side Story. It's an execelent view on the show, and also explains what Fosse did when he directed it. Apparently the original was very dark, and in the MTI version they cut out lines and such. In the original apparently there was more involvement between Catherine and the Leading Player, and she gets on his nerves more, rather than just two times. I personally love the show and hope there will be a revival in the near future.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 10:50am

Having not seen the UCLA production under discussion and having been far far too young to see the original Fosse production live (wink), I can only speak to the show as I've seen it presented. I do agree the DVD recording is sorely lacking....However:

The score, as a couple have noted, is brilliant. When the show premiered, the rights to the cast recording were secured by Motown, then the very model of a contemporary pop record label. Many Motown artists covered songs from the Pippin score, which is why you'll see "Corner of the Sky" on the occasional Best of Michael Jackson album. The orginal recording can sound a bit dated, however, so I long for a concert or revival recording.

Second, I think the book is underrated. Maybe it came at just the right time in my life, but I think the themes of searching for a purpose and disillusionment with the world are something every person can relate to as they mature. I've seen the show presented a few times and directed it once, and it seems sudiences are always taken in by it's mix of innocence and jaded attitude. It certainly reads differently now in a world where we aren't as surrounded by sketch comedy. I think it was easier for an audience used to "Laugh In"-style blackouts to follow the story. When I directed it, I thought of the anecdotal style as being refelctive of Pippin's mind set: He's easily bored and not really committed to anything, hence he bounces from idea to idea without much effort.

I am very surprised there hasn't been a major Broadway revival. With the success of Wicked, you'd think producers would be lining up to present another Schwartz musical. I can see a Pippin revival running much like Rent, with a revolving door of up & coming talent filtering throug the cast.....