BroadwayHD,
which streams recorded and live-captured
theatrical productions, celebrated its 10th anniversary March 25 with a screening of the Pippin 50th Anniversary Concert.
Held at the SVA Theatre in New York City, the evening featured highlights from the recent London concert as well as a conversation
with alumni from the musical that features music and lyrics by
Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson.
Julie James hosted the panel, which included Pippin composer Schwartz; Ben Vereen and John Rubinstein, who opened the original Broadway production; Tovah Feldshuh, who succeeded Andrea Martin in the Broadway revival; and Alex Newell and Jac Yarrow, who were part of the 50th anniversary concert cast.
Additional attendees included BroadwayHD co-founders Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane and performers Sydney Lemmon and Constantine Maroulis, among others.
“Those lucky enough to see the Pippin 50th Anniversary Concert live in London are in an exclusive group,” said Comley and Lane in an earlier joint statement, “and it is a perfect example of why we created BroadwayHD in the first place—to provide wider access for audiences to experience these once-in-a-lifetime musical events they may otherwise have never been able to see.”
Performed to sold-out audiences last April at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the Pippin 50th Anniversary Concert is currently streaming on BroadwayHD.
Go inside the celebration in the gallery below.
The 50th anniversary London concert production of Pippin, which was presented April 29–30, 2024, made its streaming premiere beginning March 13 on BroadwayHD.
Featuring the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and a 50-member choir, the concerts of the Schwartz and Hirson musical were directed by Jonathan O'Boyle with musical direction by Chris Ma.
Newell—the first openly non-binary performer to win a Tony in an acting category for their role as Lulu in Shucked—was the Leading Player.
Newell was joined by Yarrow (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) in the title role; Olivier winner Patricia Hodge, who created the role of Catherine in the original 1973 West End premiere of Pippin, as Berthe; Lucie Jones (Wicked, Waitress) as Catherine; Guys and Dolls Olivier nominee Cedric Neal as Charlemagne; Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins) as Fastrada; Ryan Heenan as Theo; and Idriss Kargbo as Lewis with Amonik Melaco, Jak Allen-Anderson, Sally Frith, and Gleanne Purcell-Brown as Players.
The concerts also had choreography by Joanna Goodwin,
set and costume design by Polly Sullivan, lighting design by Jamie
Platt, sound design by Adam Fisher, orchestrations by Simon Nathan based
on original orchestration by Larry Hochman, and casting by Jane Deitch.
Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the original 1972 Broadway production of Pippin, imposing his conceptual vision onto composer Schwartz and librettist Hirson's bittersweet fairytale. Ben Vereen was the Leading Player ("Magic to Do," "Simple Joys"), John Rubinstein played the searching Pippin ("Corner of the Sky," "With You"), Jill Clayburgh was his love interest ("I Guess I'll Miss the Man," "Kind of Woman"), Leland Palmer his evil stepmother ("Spread a Little Sunshine"), and Irene Ryan was Pippin's feisty grandmother ("No Time At All"). The show ran 1,944 performances, closing June 12, 1977.
The original production won five 1972 Tony Awards: Best Actor in a
Musical (Vereen), Best Scenic Design (Tony Walton), Best Lighting Design
(Jules Fisher), and Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical,
both for Fosse. The 2013 Broadway revival won four Tonys, including Best
Revival of a Musical.
The concerts were produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Carter Dixon McGill Productions.
Visit BroadwayHD.com.
