KC Rep's PIPPIN Opens 9/14

By: Aug. 13, 2012
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre opens its 48th season with the Tony Award-nominated musical Pippin, which features a score by Grammy-winner Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson. The Rep's artistic director Eric Rosen will direct the musical, which runs September 14-October 7 in Spencer Theatre.

Pippin is an extraordinary tale of self discovery in which a young prince searches for meaning and purpose in his life. Along the way, his adventures acquaint him with the unfamiliar worlds of politics, betrayal, war and, eventually, love.

Rosen is reinventing the 1970's musical as a modern-day rock fable with stunning choreography and actor instrumentalists. "Pippin has a dream-come-true cast and I can't wait for audiences to see them in our new interpretation of this epic rock fable," said Rosen. "This production will be a musically vigorous, genre-shifting explosion of high energy, and our multi-talented cast will make the most of every minute of it."

The cast of Pippin includes musical theatre performers from Kansas City and New York.

Claybourne Elder (Pippin): Cabaret, Into the Woods-Kansas City Rep; Bonnie and Clyde-Broadway; Road Show-Off Broadway; One Arm, drama desk nomination Outstanding Actor in a Play-Tectonic Theater Project and The New Group; Pump Up the Volume-Joes' Pub.

Katie Gilchrist (Catherine, Ensemble): Kansas City Rep debut; Oleanna, Bucket of Blood-The Living Room; Everyday Rapture, Lobby Hero-Unicorn Theatre; The Death of Cupid-Kansas City Fringe Festival; Trash-New York Fringe Festival.

Jennie Greenberry (Female Ensemble): Little Shop of Horrors, A Christmas Carol, world premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical!-Kansas City Rep; U Bug Me, A Typical Boy and Lucky Duck, including its New York run at the New Victory Theatre, at the Coterie.

John Hickok (Charles): Room Service-Kansas City Rep; The Invisible Hand-Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Man and Boy with Frank Langella-Broadway; Sessions and Meet Me in St. Louis, revival-Off Broadway; If It Only Even Runs A Minute 10-Le Poisson Rouge, New York.

Katie Kalahurka (Fastrada, Ensemble): Into the Woods, world premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical!, A Flea in Her Ear-Kansas City Rep; A Man of No Importance, Death of a Salesman-Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre.

Gil Perez-Abraham, Jr. (Male Ensemble): Kansas City Rep debut; A Steady Rain-Brave New Works where he is co-artistic director; Noah's Art-Theatre for Young Audiences at Kansas University.

Wallace Smith: (Leading Player): Kansas City Rep debut; Godspell revival, Hair, Ragtime, American Idiot, The Lion Kin-Broadway; first and second national tours and the Vegas production of The Lion King, Whoopie Goldberg's White Noise, Miss Saigon and the Los Angeles company of Bare.

Mary Testa (Berthe): Kansas City Rep debut; Xanadu, Queen of the Mist, On the Town (Tony nomination), 42nd Street revival (Tony nomination)-Broadway; 2011-12 Drama Desk Award in recognition of excellence and significant contributions to theatre.

TO BE CAST: The role of Lewis.

The Pippin creative team includes:
Choreographer Chase Brock: Kansas City Rep debut; Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark-Broadway; Roméo et Juliette, directed by Bartlett Sher-Salzburg Festival; A Little Night Music revival-CenterStage; the video game Dance on Broadway for Nintendo Wii and PlayStation Move.

Music Director and Orchestrator Curtis Moore: Into the Woods, directed by Moisés Kaufman; Rosen and Matt Sax's 2010 world premiere rock musical Venice, which TIME magazine called "The Year's Best Musical," both at Kansas City Rep; Richard III starring Kevin Spacey, directed by Sam Mendes-London's Old Vic Theatre and now on international tour.

Set Designer Jack Magaw: The Whipping Man, Cabaret, A Flea in Her Ear, Winesburg, Ohio-Kansas City Rep; Picnic and Bus Stop (Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award nominations)-Writers' Theatre.

Costume Designer Alison Heryer: The Whipping Man-Kansas City Rep; The Bluest Eye-New Victory Theatre, New York; The Fall to Earth, A Lesson Before Dying-Steppenwolf Theatre.

Lighting Designer: Jason Lyons (Little Shop of Horrors, Clay, A Flea in Her Ear, world premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical!-Kansas City Rep; Rock of Ages, The Threepenny Opera, Clay, Broke-ology-New York.

Sound Designer: Zachary Williamson: Cabaret-Kansas City Rep; The Shaughraun-Irish Repertory Theatre.

Pippin runs September 14 – October 7, 2012, at Spencer Theatre located at 4949 Cherry Street in Kansas City, MO. For ticket and performance information, call the Rep Box Office at 816-235-2700 or visit www.KCRep.org. For group ticket information and sales, please contact Group Sales at 816-235-6122.

 



Videos