Production Schedule

The production schedule is now available online! This schedule is subject to change, so please contact the producer or stage manager if you have any questions.

• March 2003
• April 2003

About the Show

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz (no relation to the director) wrote a small, intimate musical using the story of Pippin, son of Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, a man second in power only to the Pope. The production was intended to be a pageant presented by a troop of Players led by an old actor. When Bob Fosse was brought in to direct, he asked a dancer from his film version of Sweet Charity to audition. After the audition, the "Old Actor" concept was changed and Ben Vereen became, along with Fosse and the show, the proverbial toast of the town, opening on October 23, 1972 and running for 1,944 performances.

Utilizing musical theatre styles ranging from minstrel show to vaudeville, nightclub, and burlesque, Pippin is the search of a self-proclaimed "Extraordinary" young man, heir to the throne, for his own "Corner of the Sky." He knows he is destined for "Glory" but is not sure how to get "On the Right Track." A Shakespearean patricide leads to a "Morning Glow" of hope, but Pippin flees the responsibilities of leadership and wholeheartedly plunges into despair. He is led to his destiny by Catherine, a young widow with a son, Theo, and a small estate. Along the way the Lead Player comments, cajoles and insists there is "Magic To Do."

The main characters are:

• Pippin, a young, confused baritone
• Lead Player, singer/dancer, tenor (can be male or female)
• Charlemagne, a commanding leader, bass
• Catherine, young widow, a Player who leaves the "cast", mezzo
• Fastrada, Pippin's stepmother, flashdancer, mezzo
• Berthe, Pippin's grandmother, nightclub diva, mezzo
• Lewis, Pippin's half-brother, dancer, good physique
• Theo, young (8 years old) boy with a duck
• And a chorus of singers, dancers, and actor/singer/dancers

Some speaking parts will be cast from the chorus and will appear throughout the play. These parts include a Baron, a Peasant, a Headless Man, Couriers, an Officer. Although the show is associated with Fosse and the pelvic thrust school of movement, this production will be presented as "The RPI Players' Pippin." This will be our unique slant using the material and the creative input of the production staff, cast, crew and other interested parties. The musical score lies within an easy range, harmonies are simple, and the director is confident the musical director can work with just about anyone who is not afraid to try. The dancing ranges from individual movement (so if you get it wrong, no one will know) to choreography that will require physical exertion and intensive practice. The director is confident the choreographer can work with just about anyone who is not afraid to try. The story is told in episodic scenes with no long iambic pentameter speeches and the director is confident that he can work with anyone who is not afraid to try (and if anyone doesn't do it right, the director can blame it on the musical director and the choreographer).