Glory, Glory!

The concert was a personal triumph for Michael Arden in the role of Pippin. Here’s Arden singing “Corner of the Sky.”

An audience favorite was Terrence Mann, hilarious in the role of Pippin’s father, Charlemagne.

Also an audience favorite — for obvious reasons! — was daytime TV star Cameron Mathison as Pippin’s stupid but studly brother Lewis.

Here’s Billy Porter, another of the Leading Players, singing “Glory”…

…and here’s Darius de Haas, yet another of the Leading Players, singing “Simple Joys.”

The one and only Charles Busch, fabulously costumed by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case, winningly performed “No Time at All” in the role of Pippin’s grandmother, Berthe.

As Pippin matures, he struggles with sexual lust vs. the joys of a committed relationship. (Sound familiar?)

Here’s Julia Murney as Fastrada, Pippin’s seductive, scheming stepmother.

Pippin is crowned in “Morning Glow.” Last night’s performance of the soaring anthem by a huge chorus and full orchestra, conducted by Mark Hartman, was thrilling.

The beautiful widow Catherine, played by the luminous Laura Benanti, tries to domesticate Pippin.

Our hero walks out on Catherine and is urged to end his life in a blaze of glory by the Leading Player — here in the person of the great Ben Vereen, who created the role in the original Broadway production of Pippin.

But Pippin finally realizes that not everyone in this world needs to do extraordinary things. He chooses family life with Catherine and her son, Theo (Harrison Chad).

The show ends with Theo — here surrounded by Leading Players O’Donnell, Porter, Vereen, de Haas, and Shindle — beginning to look for his own “Corner of the Sky.” Last night’s Pippin concert was directed by Gabriel Barre and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler.