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Who Played Berthe in Pippin

Berthe is a role in Pippin, a musical that opened Broadway in 1972.

Nominated in 1972 for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and winning five of those coveted Awards, this hip, tongue-in-cheek, anachronistic fairy tale is based upon the life of Prince Pippin the Hunchback, the firstborn son of eighth century, Frankish king Charlemagne or Charles the Great, and invites audiences to join the fantastical journey of the rosy-cheeked prince famously looking for his “corner of the sky”. But his dad is a tyrannical bore, his step-mom is a Lady Macbeth in a mini skirt, and his half-brother Lewis is a twit. Returning home from school, Prince Pippin, sure of his superior qualities but lacking a purpose to which he can apply them, becomes a soldier for his father's army, but he gets upset by the killing and murders his father to stop the war. Finding he does not want to become the "puppet king" of discontented nobles in the Carolingian Empire, Pippin longs to discover the secret of true happiness and fulfillment. He is led by a mischievous Leading Player as he tries to find his place in life in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power. The youth's violent journey to fulfillment sets Pippin's quest into a tradition of psychological darkness, bringing an unusually creepy seriousness to Pippin's temptations and sinister machinations to the Leading Player. In the end, he finds the simple pleasures and domestic contentment of love, home and family is something to be quietly achieved. A rock opera filled with sex, S&M, and amputated limbs, this perky musical is meant to be at times unnerving and dark. Pippin is full of light pop music, magic, and soft-shoe dances, but it has one of the darkest and most complex themes in musical theater history. Directed by John Thompson, Music Direction by Jeannie Cross.

15 actors have played Berthe in Pippin.

View full cast of Pippin

Performer Production Opened
Dorothy Stickney Broadway Pippin 1972
Fay Sappington Broadway Pippin 1972
Irene Ryan Broadway Pippin 1972
Lucie Lancaster Broadway Pippin 1972
Charlotte Rae Milburn, NJ (Regional) Pippin 2000
Mimi Hines Regional (US) Pippin 2005
Barbara Marineau East Haddam, CT (Regional) Pippin 2006
Andrea Martin Broadway Pippin 2013
Annie Potts Broadway Pippin 2013
Lucie Arnaz Broadway Pippin 2013
Priscilla Lopez Broadway Pippin 2013
Sabrina Harper Broadway Pippin 2013
Tovah Feldshuh Broadway Pippin 2013
Adrienne Barbeau US Tour Pippin 2014
Andrea Martin US Tour Pippin 2014
Laura Hall US Tour Pippin 2014
Lucie Arnaz US Tour Pippin 2014
Sabrina Harper US Tour Pippin 2014

Other Roles in Pippin

Role Production Opened
Beggar Broadway Pippin 1972
Berthe Broadway Pippin 1972
Catherine Broadway Pippin 1972
Charles Broadway Pippin 1972
Dance Alternate Broadway Pippin 1972
Fastrada Broadway Pippin 1972
Field Marshall Broadway Pippin 1972
Leading Player Broadway Pippin 1972
Lewis Broadway Pippin 1972
Musician Broadway Pippin 1972
Noble Broadway Pippin 1972
Peasant Broadway Pippin 1972
Pippin Broadway Pippin 1972
Player Broadway Pippin 1972
Sword Bearer Broadway Pippin 1972
The Head Broadway Pippin 1972
The Head/Field Marshall Broadway Pippin 1972
Theo Broadway Pippin 1972

“Berthe” Also Appears In

Production Type Year
Boeing-Boeing Broadway 2008

Photos from Pippin

View all 3 photos from Pippin

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