Theater News

Magic to Do! Broadway to See First Revival of Pippin This March

The Stephen Schwartz/Roger O. Hirson Musical Will Transfer Directly From the American Repertory Theater in Massachusetts.

Matthew James Thomas and the cast of <i>Pippin</i> at American Repertory Theater.
Matthew James Thomas and the cast of Pippin at American Repertory Theater.
(© Michael J. Lutch)
Pippin will find his corner of Broadway this spring when the American Repertory Theater‘s 40th anniversary revival of the classic Stephen Schwartz/Roger O. Hirson musical transfers to Broadway’s Music Box Theatre beginning March 23. The production, directed by Tony Award nominee (and A.R.T. artistic director) Diane Paulus (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess) and produced by Barry & Fran Weissler and Howard & Janet Kagan, will open on April 25.

Casting for the musical’s Broadway bow will be announced in the future. The A.R.T. production, which began in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 5 and runs through January 20, stars Matthew James Thomas (Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark) in the title role, a royal heir who is encouraged by a group of performers to embark on a journey to find his place in the world.

The original Broadway production of Pippin opened at the Imperial Theatre (next door to the Music Box) on October 18, 1972, and ran just under 2000 performances before closing in 1977. Schwartz’s Tony nominated score features the classic showtunes “Magic To Do,” “Corner of the Sky,” and “Morning Glow.”

At A.R.T., the principal company also includes Tony Award nominees Patina Miller (Sister Act) as the Leading Player, Charlotte d’Amboise (A Chorus Line) as Fastrada, and Terrence Mann (Les Miserables) as King Charles, Tony Award winner Andrea Martin (My Favorite Year) as Berthe, Erik Altemus (The Fantasticks) as Lewis, Andrew Cekala (All My Sons) as Theo, and Rachel Bay Jones (Hair) as Catherine. The ensemble features Gregory Arsenal, Stephanie Pope Caffey, Lolita Costet, Colin Cunliffe, Andrew Fitch, Orion Griffiths, Viktoria Grimmy, Olga Karmansky, Bethany Moore, Phlip Rosenberg, Yannick Thomas, Molly Tynes, and Anthony Wayne.

Paulus’ creative team includes Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company 7 Fingers (circus creation), Chet Walker (choreography in the style of original director/choreographer Bob Fosse), Scott Pask (scenic design), Dominique Lemieux (costume design), Kenneth Posner (lighting design), Clive Goodwin (sound design), Larry Hochman (orchestrations), Nadia Di Giallonardo (musical supervision), and Charlie Alterman (musical direction).

Tickets will go on sale January 8 to members of the Audience Rewards program; a date for ticket sales to the general public will be announced in the near future.

Click here for more information about Pippin.