First review of the Reprise! mounting of Pippin I've seen. It's amazing how in the original, Pippin was completely overshadowed by the incredible Ben Vereen, but now Michael Arden is the one getting all the raves. He's quite the talent.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Wow that a great take on the show. Do they start Arden off in the audience?
I want to write music. I want to sit down right now at my piano and write a song that people will listen to and remember and do the same thing every morning...for the rest of my life. - Jonathan Larson. Tick, Tick...BOOM!
I want to see a revival of Pippin on broadway sooooooooo bad. I never got to see the original (I wasn't born yet), but I thoroughly enjoyed Michael's performance in the Pippin concert.
just flew in from LA where i saw PIPPIN. A Star is Reborn! The recnt NYC McGonical and Shindle's concert of PIPPIN was more of an event,(an amazing One)it gave goosebumps and introduced us to Michael Arden's amazing take on the title character. Now the Theatre Gods have smiled on us and allowed Mr. Arden some breath and a chance to perform the role again in a somewhat grander scale. When Actor, Personae and material meet like this, you just look to Heaven's and say "Thank You"! and he looks like a Devilish Angel! more after Jet Lag
Yes, the Reprise production of Pippin is a winner. Sam Harris and Michael Arden are perfectly cast and perform with enormous talent and charisma. Other standouts include veteran Mimi Hines as Bertha, Broadway's Luba Mason as Frustrada, and sexy Abe Sylvia as Lewis. The crisp choreography is obviously Fosse inspired, and performed with great skill and energy by a young and hot group of dancer/singers (who put this show together with less than two weeks of rehearsals). I was able to speak with the adorable Michael at the reception after the performance and he is as lovely as I had imagined. Before I introduced myself to him, he was speaking with a hearing impared friend (using ASL, which he had most likely learned while doing Big River). Seeing him communicate with his hands added an extra depth to y perception of this talented and beautiful young man. I highly recommend Pippin (which got a rave from the L.A. Times, by the way)...if you can get a ticket!
I was talking to a guy in the lobby who said that Michael Arden's headshot (one taken when he had bleached blond hair) didn't look at all like Pippin. I said, "Well, his hair is darker and he has gained a few pounds." Then I felt guilty because Michael is lovely no matter what. But every other time I've seen Pippin, Pippin is shirtless in the bed scene, and Michael kept his on, and at one point his cute little tummy did sort of pop out when his shirt lifted during a dance move. Now I feel guilty again, because Michael was very sweet when I spoke to him after the show. But I lost 15 pounds in the last few months so maybe it's okay for me to make the above observations?
Here's the LA Times Review: THEATER REVIEW A seeker on a timeless quest *A Freud Playhouse revival gives a fresh spin to "Pippin's" summer-of-love vibe.
By Daryl H. Miller, Times Staff Writer
Hands reach out from the darkness, enticing, imploring.
"Join us," urges a silky voice. It belongs to a man in black, a bowler perched rakishly on his head. Barely discernible in shadows, the mysterious figure weaves a spell with his melody, inviting the audience to leave humdrum life behind while traveling to the exotic locale of the story that he and his troupe are about to enact.
The trip still proves fairly exhilarating in the musical "Pippin," which first opened on Broadway in 1972 and played for 4 1/2 years. Today, the Summer of Love vibe and Renaissance fair trappings freeze the show in time, yet a staging as part of the revival-minded Reprise! series at UCLA's Freud Playhouse makes a strong case for its story of fulfillment in a confusing age.
With the success of his music for "Godspell," composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz was able to earn "Pippin" — a show he had begun in college — a shot at Broadway, with Bob Fosse as director and choreographer. Fosse reshaped the simple tale according to his own vision, infusing it with slinky dance numbers and a Vegas floor show's worth of magic tricks.
New York's theater columns told of clashes between composer and director, but the show opened to mostly positive reviews and became a linchpin success for Fosse, who earned a pair of Tony Awards for his direction and choreography. The book, by Roger O. Hirson, tells the story of Candide-like Prince Pippin, son of the powerful Frankish ruler Charles I, or Charlemagne. The material is presented by a troupe of street performers in a style that draws upon elements of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville and burlesque.
As the youth who vows "not to waste my life in commonplace, ordinary pursuits," Michael Arden projects fresh-faced openness and touching vulnerability. In a smooth, sweet voice that floats easily into falsetto and shimmers in its midrange, he yearns for his own little "Corner of the Sky" (the show's best-loved song) while rushing about with arms open wide, an expectant grin on his face. Soldier, lover and revolutionary are among the roles Pippin will sample.
Urging him along is the sly, sexy and slightly sinister Leading Player — a role memorably originated by Ben Vereen. Singer and onetime "Star Search" powerhouse Sam Harris might seem an unusual choice for the part, but his vocal arsenal — with its flamboyant high notes and laser-beam sustained climaxes — is well suited to this outsized role.
Director Gordon Hunt and choreographer Dan Mojica evoke the Fosse style even as they personalize the production.
The dancers, who serve as all-purpose players, are perfectly sculpted specimens of humankind, barely dressed in mesh, lace, spandex and leather. Mojica infuses their choreography with pulsing pelvises, undulating arms, provocatively turned legs.
Here as in the original, one of the show's standout segments is its sensually bloody depiction of war. It begins with a trio of soldiers performing a music hall number that introduces a Nazi goose step into an otherwise cheery soft-shoe. By the end, the stage is bathed blood red (lights by Tom Ruzika) as dismembered body parts rain down. Adapting the stick from his hat-and-cane routine to a new use, the Leading Player casually swats at a limb as though playing a game of golf.
The slightly heightened acting style of the first half gives way to genuine emotion when Jean Louisa Kelly and Graham Phillips arrive as the widowed mother and son who will turn Pippin's search onto a new path.
Folky here, jazzy there, Ralph Burns' orchestrations are performed by 16 instrumentalists, including musical director Gerald Sternbach, who conducts from his keyboard.
The show ends differently than we remember, bringing the story full circle and poising it for a new generation.
That's certainly a positive review from the LA Times! I wish the show was coming to the East Coast too, so I could catch it.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
spiderdj82, you are so right! Pippin is one of the shows with (unfortunately) only one (mostly bad) CD available. Why why why? Ben Vareen is, of course, excellent. But John Rubenstein, no matter how well he may have acted the role of Pippin, has a very thin and weak voice. What a shame that the divine Michael (then Mike) Rupert, whom I saw in the National Tour, was not on the original CD instead of Rubenstein. Other singers on the OBC recording are deficient as well. Not only that, but not all the songs are featured. After last night's Pippin (extraordinarily well sung by the entire cast), I couldn't help but feel sorry for anyone in the audience who bought the OBC recording at intermission to recall the evening. (By the way, I totally disagree with theatremania's comments about Sam Harris. He is sensational in the role!) WE NEED A NEW RECORDING OF THIS ONE!
Pippin is probably my least favorite Schwartz show (though Magic Show has an AWFUL book, I like it's score much better). I don't care for the CD and the DVD is better, but it just doesn't grab me. I guess it was far more innovative in its day, but I just feel it is going to need some serious work to make a revival fresh and interesting for today's audiences.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
I saw this production of Pippin in LA and don't agree with the critic's comments regarding Sam Harris. I knew his singing was going to be great (I remember watching him on Star Search and have liked him ever since), but I was very impressed with his dancing.
Yes, Spike, they did pull Michael Arden from the audience. He really looked like the every-day kind of kid...sweatshirt, shirt untucked...very casual. What a voice!
My friend was one of the Players. She said it was a great experience and that all the actors were very nice. (That's always good to hear).
Great reviews. Michael deserves every single comment. I disagree about the pudgy thing, though I'm a fan regardless of his weight. I'm in love with that voice!
If they revive it on Broadway, Michael would be the perfect Pippin. I agree about a CD...they should have made one of the AIDS Benefit concert. That was an amazing night at the theatre.
