Spotlight: Pippin

Pippin opened on Broadway in the autumn of 1972, running for almost five years before closing. With nearly 2000 performances at the Imperial Theater, Pippin definitely deserved the nominations and awards from both the Tony Awards and the Drama Desk Awards.

The Pippin Wikia page has a short introduction to the show, stating "Pippin follows the son of Charlemagne (who is leader of the Holy Roman Empire) as he struggles to find meaning in his life. The original Broadway production combined suggestions of medieval times in sets and costumes with the themes of sexual experimentation and political upheaval present in the American 1970s. The show was originally choreographed and directed by the inimitable Bob Fosse, who also heavily edited composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz's somewhat saccharine themes."

 

The show itself is a lively adventure, breaking the fourth wall and engaging the audience in a man's journey to power, love, and self discovery. The show is not completely family friendly, as it contains sex and murder.  But just as with movies and music and books, it is a personal preference, and possibly the word of a parent or guardian.

In 1981, a televised show of Pippin was broadcast, making it the first live performance in a theater to be broadcast on TV. This version excludes multiple songs from the original musical, as well as an altered final line from the character of Pippin.

 

In 2013, after almost forty years, a revival of Pippin returned to Broadway, sweeping away the competition to become the Best Revival of a Musical at the Tony Awards, as well as multiple awards for their amazing cast (Did anyone else just love Patina Miller and Andrea Martin as much as I did?).The ending of the revival of Pippin has an alternate ending to the original performance. If you ever get the chance to see a performance of this iconic show, try to figure out (or Google it) which one you just saw, and hope that if you get the chance to see it again, it's a whole new experience.

If you're ever bored, Pippin has an incredible Pinterest page, full of history, memories, and fun for a fan.

 

'Join us' again sometime!

Kendall

5 Tips for Surviving the Rehearsal Process

 

Hey guys! Today I'm just going to talk about stuff to do during one of the worse times of the production process. Some people have different names for it, but it's usually the polishing process. It's when you've learned everything, blocking and choreography, and now it's just crazy run-throughs. Basically it's hell on earth. Since I'm going through this process right now, I thought it would be helpful to just go through some stuff that might be helpful! These are just my ideas, do what you want with them. 

    1.   HYDRATE LIKE YOU GONNA DIE

Like seriously though. I know that for some people fluids work differently. For instance, one of my friends drinks Dr. Pepper before each show and belts like no other. Do I know how that works? No. It's insane. But to each its own. The most crucial thing though is that you have to stay hydrated, especially for tough choreography shows. For some people who drink sodas and non-healthy stuff (aka me) I have to take things in moderation. Have a balance! Just don't sound like Harvey Fierstein when you sing.

 Please. No.

     2.  KEEP DRAMA TO A MINIMUM

I know it's three in the morning and you've been here for 12 hours. I know you're hangry (hungry+angry=not good). But guess what: your cast mates are in the same worn out boat. Tensions will rise and you will get sick of people! It happens! Just don't blow up because someone else snapped and blew up at you. Just let it go. Things will go much smoother later when there's less backstage fights.

     3. PRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICE    

I don't care how many years you've been in theatre, or how many awards you've won, or if you've been tweeted by Jeremy Jordan. We all need practice in some way. Go over your lines. By yourself, or with friends, just do it. Go over choreography. Or just show up at rehearsal early and go over everything. This looks very professional and will definitely pay off. Who cares if it makes you look like the director's pet or stuck up? Your director shouldn't care: he'll only care if you work hard or not. 

     4. SMILE 

Seriously. High energy, all the time. A musical thrives on this, and hopefully your cast mates will feed off your energy. A director wants to see progress and see how close the show is to performance ready. So perform.

     5. HAVE FUN!

Chances are you will be a sobbing mess on the floor surrounded by your show playbill and poster, your clothes as they still have mic tape on them, and your cast pictures after you close the show. So make the best memories! Have fun as you polish and clean and see everything as a new challenge. Love on your besties in the cast and get some new ones while you're at. Make connections. Always, always, always make connections. You never know who's going to get you the next big show.

That's about it! If you have other helpful hints please comment below! If you have other blog ideas, feel free to comment or message me on twitter!

Andrew