Fun Facts About #PippinDSM!

Posted on July 7th, 2015

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It’s OPENING NIGHT for PIPPIN, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals! In honor of the first evening of the show in Dallas, I thought I’d share some fun facts about the show before you come to see it on stage at the Music Hall NOW – July 19th!

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE SHOW

  • There are 6 yoga balls used in the show.
  • The acrobats usually spend an entire hour warming up before a performance.
  • There are 15 hula-hoops used throughout the show.
  • There are 4 gym mats used in the show. 2 of them are for warm-ups before curtain.
  • PIPPIN was originally called PIPPIN, PIPPIN
  • The curtain drop at the top of the show is 26 feet high.
  • 7 feather fans are used in the entire show.
  • There are 17 acrobatic tricks in Magic to Do.
  • Gypsy Snider, who created all the circus elements, said “The life of an acrobat is how far we go to be extraordinary.”
  • The Manson Trio is named after Charles Manson. Bob Fosse was very interested in Manson.
  • Stephen Schwartz was only 24 years old when he wrote the show.
  • Stephen Schwartz saw “Glory” as a commentary on the Vietnam War, happening during PIPPIN’s creation.
  • The Leading Player and Charles Manson have something in common. Charismatic, cult Leaders.
  • There are 10 swords used during “War is a Science”
  • Take a look at King Charlemagne, John Rubinstein. He starred in the title role of PIPPIN in 1972.
  • Take a look at Fastrada, Sabrina Harper. She was part of the Broadway Revival cast having also played Berthe and Catherine!
  • Pippin’s name, historically speaking, is actually spelled Pipen. Stephen Schwartz changed it so it wouldn’t be perceived as an adaptation of the Steinbeck novel, “The Short Reign of Pepin IV”. They liked the word “Pippin” because it suggested the slang meaning of “pip” – something nifty.
  • It took about five and a half years for Pippin to grow- from the college version of PIPPIN at Carnegie Mellon to Broadway.
  • Pippin had try-outs in early fall 1972 in Washington D.C. It opened at the Imperial Theatre in NYC on October 23, 1972 and ran until 1977.
  • Bob Fosse had seen Ben Vereen perform in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and asked Ben to audition for PIPPIN. They were so impressed by Ben’s audition that they combined several small roles into the one role of Leading Player.
  • Hal Prince was approached to direct the show at one point.
The Broadway cast of "Pippin," above. The first national touring production of the iconic musical, with circus creations by Gypsy Snider, launches in Denver on Sept. 6. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The Broadway cast of “Pippin,” above. Photo by Joan Marcus.

I hope you will join me and DSM as we close out our 75th Anniversary Celebration with PIPPIN! It will be a night of theatre you won’t forget! Tickets are on sale now. Just go to: http://tinyurl.com/og2sxh7.

Want a sneak peek? Check out this quick video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1YgbDiameI]

I’ll see you at the show!

-DSM Amanda