When the musical made its Broadway debut in 1972, the 26-year-old Rubinstein played the title role of Pippin, a young man trying to find his purpose in 8th century Europe, while living in the shadow of his father, Charlemagne, the head of the Holy Roman Empire.
4 comments:
There has always been a bit of a discrepancy between the old Pippin and the new Pippin. From what I've seen, people have a favorite and they feel very strongly about why their version is better that the other one. But I love the idea that there is an actor who got to play a major role in both productions. And even though the new version is very different, he took the role by storm and seems to be doing really well. And enjoying himself quite a lot. And seeing that really shows that these two versions of the shows that are so insanely different can be seen as coexisting rather than competing is really refreshing. I love Pippin and I hope to get an opportunity to see this new cast in action!
I’m really looking forward to seeing this production of “Pippin”. I want to go in seeing it with an open mind but for some reason there is one aspect that kind of has bothered me since I heard about the Broadway revival. I have some reservations about the idea of it being surrounded by circus elements. The initial reaction I had was that this could be really cool and well done. But then I was thinking that what if this was solely a way to “freshen” the show and a reason for revival. Were the circus elements to make this show more welcoming to children and to perhaps make it more of a “spectacular” than a musical? I look forward to being able to answer these questions once I have actually seen the show. However the one thing that reassured me with this production was the choreographer’s approach to; to appreciate Bob Fosse’s choreography and use it in a smart way and not to completely replicate it.
As someone who has never seen a production of Pippin before, I am going to see this new production with a completely blank slate. Reading about the original production, with its inclusion of illusions and magic, I think that the circus elements will be very interesting as an addition to the show. Though it takes place in the 8th century, the original show already moved it away from a strictly historical presentation. The circus elements in the revival, I think, will serve to increase this distance and the fictional aspects of the story. I think there are two possibilities: it works, and makes the revival a fun new journey, or it doesn’t, and decreases the realistic aspects of the story. Either way, I am looking forward to seeing the show and deciding for myself. Otherwise, I will be relying on my classmates’ greater knowledge about the original production to compare and contrast both the new elements in the choreography and design, and the portrayal of Charlemagne as portrayed by John Rubinstein.
As someone who has never seen a production of Pippin before, I am going to see this new production with a completely blank slate. Reading about the original production, with its inclusion of illusions and magic, I think that the circus elements will be very interesting as an addition to the show. Though it takes place in the 8th century, the original show already moved it away from a strictly historical presentation. The circus elements in the revival, I think, will serve to increase this distance and the fictional aspects of the story. I think there are two possibilities: it works, and makes the revival a fun new journey, or it doesn’t, and decreases the realistic aspects of the story. Either way, I am looking forward to seeing the show and deciding for myself. Otherwise, I will be relying on my classmates’ greater knowledge about the original production to compare and contrast both the new elements in the choreography and design, and the portrayal of Charlemagne as portrayed by John Rubinstein.
Post a Comment