Chet Walker News

According to Deadline.com, The Weinstein Company has hired Matthew Ponsoldt to pen a film adaptation of the musical Pippin. No film version of Pippin has ever been produced.

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy Pippin is currently in previews at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below!

Ghostlight Records will release the New Broadway Cast Recording for Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN, which is now playing at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) and opens on Thursday, April 25. The cast will record the album on April 29. The album will be release in June 2013 (date to be announced) and will feature material from the show never previously recorded. The album will be co-produced by composer Stephen Schwartz and Kurt Deutsch, and executive produced by Howard & Janet Kagan.

Single tickets for the 81st Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival go on sale to the general public on April 8 at 10am. Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts; Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times has hailed the Pillow as "the dance center of the nation, possibly the world." Tickets can be purchased by visiting jacobspillow.org or calling 413.243.0745. Further programming announcements will be made in late April for more than 200 free events, including Inside/Out performances, PillowTalks, exclusive art and photography exhibits, and free community events.

As an undergraduate theater major in the early 1970s, I heard music everywhere. It seemed to pour out of every office and workspace around the department. (And in the LP era, if you wanted more than the radio, this meant schlepping a twenty pound record player and a dozen or so albums from your home to the campus, sometimes requiring back-and-forth trips from the car. If you go to that much trouble, you want to keep the music playing.) In the hushed costume shop with its quietly industrious all female staff, Broadway ruled, with Stephen Sondheim's recent Company and Follies in heavy rotation. It was 'men only' in the scene shop where I listened to male balladeers like James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot while unhappily working off assigned crew hours. Jazz classes (my favorites) in the dance department were conducted to the pre-disco sounds of Isaac Hayes and the Temptations. And late night cast parties were never complete without spins of Bette Midler's first two albums.

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy Pippin began performances on Saturday, March 23 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). In the video below, the cast takes you behind the scenes of the first preview at the Music Box Theatre. Check it out below!

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy Pippin began performances on Saturday, March 23 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). In the video below, the cast helps fans pick the perfect seat at the Music Box Theatre. Check it out below!

The producers of PIPPIN announced today that a limited number of $37.00 rush tickets will be available for purchase in-person at the Music Theatre box office (239 West 45th Street) when it opens at 10am (Noon on Sundays) for that day's performance only. There is a limit of one ticket per person. Tickets are subject to availability and may not be offered at all performances. Cash or Credit is accepted.

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy Pippin began performances on Saturday, March 23 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). BroadwayWorld brings you photos of the cast preparing for the first preview, as featured on the show's official Facebook page, below!

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN returns to Broadway when performances begin tomorrow, tonight, March 23 at 8 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). Opening is set for Thursday, April 25. On March 23rd only, box office hours have been extended to 10:00 p.m. to accommodate any patrons seeking to purchase advance tickets.

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN returns to Broadway when performances begin tomorrow, tonight, March 23 at 8 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). This all new production is directed by Diane Paulus featuring choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). Opening is set for Thursday, April 25. On March 23rd only, box office hours have been extended to 10:00 p.m. to accommodate any patrons seeking to purchase advance tickets.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Edwin Drood gets a Cast Recording, Michelle Williams leads Fela! tour, Liza's celebrates her Birthday in concert, and so much more!

The time has finally come for us to move into our new home at the beautiful Music Box Theatre! Once we get there we will begin 'tech' and shift our focus to the technical aspects of the show. We will start at the top and go through moment by moment setting lighting cues, spacing dance numbers, determining prop locations, figuring out entrances and exits, set moves, etc. The tech process is pretty hectic, so we tried to make good use of our final days in the rehearsal studio.

The Music Box Theatre will soon be home to The American Repertory Theatre production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus. The cast met the press yesterday, and BroadwayWorld brings you full coverage of their open rehearsal below!

The Music Box Theatre will soon be home to the American Repertory Theatre production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus. The cast met the press earlier today and gave a sneak peek of the show. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was on hand to interview Paulus, choreographer Chet Walker, circus creator Gypsy Snider, and cast members Patina Miller, Charlotte d'Amboise, Terrence Mann, Andrea Martin, Rachel Bay Jones and Matthew James Thomas. Watch below!

The Music Box Theatre will soon be home to The American Repertory Theatre production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus. The cast met the press last week, and BroadwayWorld brings you full coverage of the festivities below!

The Music Box Theatre will soon be home to the American Repertory Theatre production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus. The cast features Matthew James Thomas as Pippin, Tony and Olivier Award nominee Patina Miller as Leading Player, Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Charles, Tony Award nominee Charlotte d'Amboise as Fastrada, Rachel Bay Jones as Catherine and Tony Award winner Andrea Martin as Berthe. Other members of the company include Erik Altemus as Lewis, Gregory Arsenal, Andrew Cekala, Lolita Costet, Colin Cunliffe, Andrew Fitch, Orion Griffiths, Viktoria Grimmy, Olga Karmansky, Bethany Moore, Brad Musgrove, Stephanie Pope, Philip Rosenberg, YanNick Thomas, Molly Tynes, Anthony Wayne. The cast met the press earlier today and you can check out a photo preview from the festivities below!

This week is all about getting in the mood! We spent last week cleaning vocals and dance steps, reviewing, and adding new elements to support and enhance the show we had already created. This week we get to delve in a little deeper - to focus less on notes, steps, and lines and more on the mood and delivery of what we are doing. What are we trying to communicate with those steps and vocals? How should they feel?

Our first week of rehearsal has just come to a close. As many of you probably know, this production of "Pippin" originated at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA this past winter. Our director, Diane Paulus ("Porgy and Bess," "Hair"), collaborated with Gypsy Snider (a founding director of the circus company Les 7 Doigts de la Main) to create a new context and theme for the show - the circus. However Diane also wanted to incorporate some of the beloved choreography and iconic style from the original 1972 production created by Director/Choreographer Bob Fosse. Our choreographer, Chet Walker (an expert on the Fosse style and a cast member of the original production of "Pippin"), has made several referential nods to the original "Pippin" in his choreography and has even utilized some of the original choreography in a couple of key moments. (For more information on the new concept and the creation of the show, see my previous BroadwayWorld blog posts about our time at the A.R.T. here: http://americanrepertorytheater.org/inside/articles/look-inside-pippin-molly-tynes.)

The Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) box office will open Saturday, March 2nd for the eagerly anticipated American Repertory Theatre production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's PIPPIN, directed by Diane Paulus. Patrons who purchase tickets at the box office on March 2nd will be entered into a drawing to receive two tickets and party passes to the opening night celebration on Thursday, April 25. For more details, visit the box office. PIPPIN begins preview performances on Saturday, March 23.