Pippin question (SPOILERS)

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Okay, so I came in from seeing the closing night of Pippin in Providence. Hell of a show. But it was in a Facebook discussion afterwards that I got into a discussion with a friend's mother. She insists that in '84/'85, she stage-managed a production "from the original text" in which, after Pippin sang the bit about not being a river or a giant bird, he killed himself.

Taken in context with what I just saw and what I've always accepted as the reality about the show (including seeing the DVD with Ben Vereen and knowing about the production's new-ish ending that's been part of the show since the early 2000's), it doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. To me, the whole point of the ending is that he chooses not to self-immolate, and the lyric, taken in context, is pretty much about that.

I believe her, don't get me wrong, Lord knows local productions change shit willy-nilly whether licensors like it or not, but I really want to know if this was an isolated occurrence. Has anyone seen or read a version of Pippin where he does go through with the suicide?

"

As you know, there's no way to prove a negative, so I can't say for certain what your mother may have seen.

But I saw the show on Broadway, on national tour, on video, in stock and at high schools, and I own the published version, and all ended the same: With Pippin, Catherine and Theo stripped and lit by nothing but a work light. And Catherine says to Pippin, "Do you feel trapped?" And Pippin replies, "A little. Not bad for the ending of a musical comedy. Ta da!" And the three bow as the curtain falls.

I may be paraphrasing a little, but that was the gist. At least until the latest revival. I haven't seen it and have no idea how it ends.

I agree with you that the suicide ending doesn't make much sense, unless it was added by some director who thought he was "helping". Not to worry, though, my mother makes up ****, too.

And of course the new ending is almost totally different except in terms of the staging leading up to it.