Pippin poster & wallpaper

William Katt

Here's a Broadway musical about a young man who sets out to discover true meaning in his life, dabbling in war, sex, and politics before finding love. That may sound conventional, but it isn't. The ...( read more  read more... )title character of Pippin is the son of Charlemagne, the 9th-century emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and when Bob Fosse directed the original Broadway production in 1972, he transformed what had begun as a fairly innocent college project for composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz into a burlesque filled with broad comedy, bawdy characters, and magical but dark situations. Pippin (played by William Katt, of TV's The Greatest American Hero) embarks on his quest, all the way coaxed and goaded by a narrator figure known as the Leading Player (Ben Vereen) while his stepmother (Chita Rivera) schemes.

Schwartz's pop-rock score may not be as recognizable as his work for Godspell and various animated films (The Prince of Egypt, Disney's Pocahontas), but it does include the soul-driven opener "Magic to Do" (showing off Fosse's signature white gloves), the soaring "Corner of the Sky," the lovely ballad "With You" (indelicately presented in a brothel), and the romping "No Time at All" (by Martha Raye as Pippin's grandmother). Not as technically polished as newer shows preserved on video (Into the Woods, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), this live 1981 performance of Pippin is probably of greatest interest to Fosse fans as a record of his striking vision. (The original show won five Tony Awards, including for Fosse's direction and choreography and Vereen's performance.) Note, however, that this Canadian television production was supervised, not directed, by Fosse, and is missing some numbers from the original show. --David Horiuchi

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66% liked it

165 ratings

Unrated, 115 min.

Directed by: David Sheehan

Release Date: January 1, 1981

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DVD Release Date: October 31, 2000

Stats: 58 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (58)

  • xoxoGossipGirl7
    September 18, 2009
    xoxoGossipGirl7
    Really great film, love it.
  • cinfetty
    June 16, 2008
    cinfetty
    One of the best theater shows ever!
  • amrozi
    February 26, 2008
    amrozi
    Quick, pass the fork!
  • svmainus
    February 9, 2008
    svmainus
    This is an old 1981 live tv perfomance. I like Ben Vereen - I love Bob Fosse's choreography - however this pop rock version of the story of the son of Charlemagne on his quest for the meaning of life just doesn't work for me. Martha Raye as his grandmother was just strange - Ch...( read more)ita Rivera as his step-mother was fun - but again didn't quite fit here. This sort of burlesque vaudeville type musical just doesn't work with this particular story for me - I like musicals but this will never be a favorite. I only give it 3 stars as no matter what Bob Fosse's dance routines are too much fun to watch to totally dismiss.
  • justakidat11
    January 13, 2008
    justakidat11
    I love Pippin the musical, and with Ben Vereen, it is very enjoyable!
  • okkaywarner
    November 17, 2007
    okkaywarner
    I can't really think of a case where I would consider the movie version of something better than the play. I love plays and musicals and they are definitely best seen on the stage. This one is no exception, but seeing this on DVD was a decent enough substitute for the real thin...( read more)g.

    Nothing particularly special. They just seem to have filmed the play being performed. The cast mostly do a good job though there were a few points where I was a bit disappointed, for example the song (probably my favorite on in the whole show!) sung by Pippin's grandma. I think it lacked some of the liveliness and excitement it deserved. The biggest disappointment wasn't anyone's fault (except the previous people who checked out the DVD) when the ending came the DVD began to skip horrible and by the end it had an error and refused to work. so basically the ending couldn't be watched!

    I am familiar enough with it and have seen it before but it was sad not to get to see it on the DVD. Anyway, I would recommend this for people who love musicals but I don't think it is going to be everyone's cup of tea. Some parts might offend and for many it might all just be too weird. Still, it is a fun time and definitely shows it's age at times which makes for some laughs!
  • rgsunico1
    June 17, 2007
    rgsunico1
    While most people remember Pippin solely for the song Corner of the Sky, there's a lot more good music involved here and Bob Fosse dance sequences to boot that really make this a play worth seeing. This somewhat rare 1981 recording of an original performance is so worth buying.

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Pippin Trivia

  • Which "Inn" do Merry and Pippin sing of in "The Return of the King"?  Answer »
  • In the lord of the rings, a man named Billy Boyd played who?  Answer »
  • Lord of the rings: Return of the king: After being crowned king, who did Aragorn bow before?  Answer »
  • Who played the character 'Pippin' in 'The Lord of The Rings' trilogy?  Answer »
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