Pippin

I am a big fan of the original Pippin. I grew up with the soundtrack. I took my family to see the new production in previews on Broadway this spring and I was overjoyed to see that a new soundtrack had been produced. Pippin's story itself doesn't get old. The quest of youth for a place to belong resonants over generations. But the concept of this new production was quite different from the original and those concepts were evident in this new soundtrack. Patina Miller delivers a awe-inspiring, spirited (manic) performance as Lead. Matthew James Thomas is not an exceptional singer but the physicality of his performance is remarkable and his strong acting skills were great on stage. This doesn't come across in the soundtrack but it is worth seeing if you get a chance. Rachael Bay Jones is exceptional as The Widow. She sings beautifully, full of humor and emotion. As an added bonus, four sing-along tracks are included on the CD. That is just what every high school vocalist needs for an audition. Hooray for a new generation of Pippin fans.

I saw the original Broadway production of Pippin and enjoyed it thoroughly. Bob Fosse's direction/choreography seemed indelible and who could surpass Ben Vereen as the Leading Player? Most revivals/films of Fosse projects hew very closely to his sensibility. Well, just from clips on award shows, I knew this was going to be different. The Cast Album shows a completely different style that is still wonderfully calibrated to the book and score, and Patina Miller makes the Leading Player her own. Great vocalists throughout, fabulous energy, and the whole album is one delight after another. I'm not throwing out my OBC album of the original, but the two will exist side by side very happily - or at least I will be very happy to have them. By the way, the "Rip" feature, which gives me a free digital copy when I buy the CD, is a genius idea and encourages me to buy more albums!

The fidelity, artistry & reinterpretation of "Pippin" in this 2013 Tony award winning revival is thrilling! Having seen Ben Vereen in the original staging, and the revival in mid-May, the fresh interpretation is key to what makes this "Pippin" unforgettable. The original observed the conventions of the Broadway Musical: talented singing actors & dancers providing an evening's entertainment. What gave it distinction was it's burlesque style & Bob Fosse's then-novel choreography. But implicit in the act of entertaining an audience is the invitation to sit back & relax. It's fun that demands little from the audience beyond attention & applause. The 2013 revival is an enchanting circus that ushers the audience into the big tent where circus magic has us truly hooked on the breathtaking circus acrobats performing seamlessly among the dancers and key characters. Should we ease - back into our seats for a moment and the mesmerizing, seductive Lead Player - Tony winner PATINA MILLER - appears to work more magic. How much of this is conveyed through the recording is hard for me to say, having seen the show. However, in listening to both Broadway cast recordings, Ben Vereen's Lead Player sounds consistently charming & ingratiating which fits the theatricality of an evening of burlesque. The arrangements are, similarly, a bit Hoaky. Patina Miller's Eartha Kitt-enish singing combines the promise of forbidden delights with the possibility of danger, a price to be paid as we, the audience, allow her to keep us in the tent. Similarly, the arrangements (with the exception of Pippin's overly earnest naivete) are more risky, exciting. I've been impatient waiting to hear this 2013 production since I first saw the You Tube NYTimes interview with Liz Paulson & her choreographer & circus coordinator showing us how they re-created the opening number, "Join Us!" into a circus midway hook to get us to enter the big tent where unbelievable magic awaits. I had never gone directly to Telecharge & bought 2 orchestra seats based on seeing a 4-min. YouTube video! I even went online to Amazon to buy yhe CD! I was stunned when I learned it hadn't bee released yet. I'm happy to say the CD is a great recording of a magical night of musical theater! PS What digital program? Tho advertised with the digital download, which I purchased, it did NOT download automatically, not could I find instructions on how to obtain it;! Will be calling AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE to her it

Love the revival version of Pippin. Many of the songs are fantastic, inspiring and always make me feel good. I have the original on an LP record and while its loaded with people like Ben Vereen who went on to become stars, I think this version is more musical particularly in the roles of Bertha and Catherine. While I'm sure Irene Ryan, (Grannie from Beverly HillBillies) and Jill Claybourgh SOLD IT on stage their voices are not as musical as the actresses in this recording.

This is a recording of the new Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's 1972 Broadway musical, directed by Bob Fosse. I haven't seen this production but from all accounts, it looks like an imaginative new approach. Great to hear all these songs again and with some additional music not on the original cast recording. My only quibbles - while perhaps it's OK for Schwartz to change some of his lyrics, I'm disappointed that, like many other recent Broadway revivals, the original orchestrations have been changed somewhat. I would suggest that if you don't know PIPPIN, you should also track down the original Broadway cast recording.

I recently purchased both the original Pippin and this new one. I know the original version quite well, and I love it. The gentle voices in the original carry the sound of an era. In this new version, the voices are somewhat stronger. They also dare to do things slightly differently from that first recording, and I like that. "With you" is given complete! The rhythm, reflecting our changed times, are crisper and catch our ears. The sound is spectacular. I don't much care for the filler - orchestral accompaniments to four of the songs for karaoke. But that's can be just me. The great news is a fresh approach did not mean making it bigger, bolder, and destructive of the original.78 Patina Miller - a female leading player (not the first to do this) - is wonderful. Her voice cuts and fills the role. She doesn't imitate ben Vereen's inflections. She doesn't need to. She has her own. Andrea Martin isn't quite as much fun as Irene Ryan, but she points up a few lines more tellingly. Matthew James Thomas as Pippin has some really difficult songs to sing, and he brings a little more sheer voice to the role than Rubinstein without destroying the basic feeling. "Corner of the sky" really sets the juices flowing. Rachel Bay Jones as Catherine is a little more overt and enjoys the prospect of being with Pippin. Her voice smiles (no mean achievement in CDs.) Different? Yes. That doesn't always mean better, but it does here.

Pippin is one of the musicals that shaped my love for musical theatre. "Corner of the Sky" spoke to my dreams, "War is A Science" gave a wink to my love of satire and "No Time At All" just plain woke me up. I sang "With You" at my wedding just before my wife and I exchanged our vows and I plan to sing it again at our 50th anniversary in 19 years. I was excited to hear about the new revival and when I heard "Magic To Do" on my favorite online Broadway Musical radio channel I immediately downloaded the New Broadway Cast Recording album and was more than pleased. The cast is all around excellent. I was very happy with the vocal interpretations of Matthew James Thomas and Rachel Bay Jones in the roles of Pippin and Catherine. And I was blown away by Andrea Martin as Berthe, who does an outstanding job filling the bigger-than-life shoes of Irene Ryan. This version of "No Time At All" features a group of lucky fans who got to "play" the part of the audience and that just made me happy! Make sure you get the Digital Booklet version of the download, it has beautiful stills especially the one of Ms. Martin on the page facing the lyrics for "No Time At All". Magical indeed.

I loved the original and had doubts about the new cast version since Broadway has made the orchestras smaller. Enunciation is far superior. Some of the music adaptations are delightful. Some changes in instrumentation are clever. A female lead instead of the likes of Ben Vereen? YES it works just fine. Also new to this cast album are 4 songs with just the orchestra for sing along.

I absolutely loved the original Broadway cast recording when it came out years ago. I had seen the show and the record captured all that was wonderful about that fantastic evening. But somehow, actually in almost ever way, this CD is vastly superior to the original. That is not to take anything from the original, but if you are to have only one version of "Pippin", this is it. The orchestrations are similar, but better, faster, more varied. The singers are more believable, and better - don't ask me how because I thought the original cast was perfect. Now I know there is something beyond perfection. I do miss Irene Ryan, "Granny" was her line. But Andrea Martin does the role phenominally and I adore her. I thought I would at least prefer the original Pippin, and I do, but this Pippin is so darn good, that it is a matter of personal taste, not quality. The four orchestral numbers take an effort to sing along with because you have to figure out which parts of the songs they have kept and which sections are orchestral breaks for the singers. But stick with it. By my third time I had them all, thanks to the published lyrics, and was having great fun with them. I wouldn't change anything on this CD. It is so good that it makes me feel that I should start weeding out all my CDs because I'll never play some of them again when there are wonderful CDs like this "Pippin". If you have seen the show - and I'm flying down now. I have to - you owe it to yourself to buy this CD as soon as you can. If you have not seen "Pippin", don't worry. The notes take you through the plot, and the photos give you a fabulous sense of how it is staged, and the songs almost don't need a book. One more note - to whoever added the last version of "Corner od the Sky" to the show and the CD - WELL DONE! There are precious few moments when you want to laugh and cry at the same time; this is one of the best of them, though 'tis brief. Treat yourself - everybody's done something really good in their life for which they should be rewarded. Reward yourself and buy this joyous version of "Pippin" now.

心を揺さぶるようなナンバーが多く自然と引き込まれます。物語の流れや情景が目に浮かぶような展開でした。日本版ピピン楽しみにしています。

fantastic wonderful listen to it all the time. love it. it is brilliant. hope they make a film of it. wonderful recording and brilliant talented cast. well done thank you for creating this wonderful musical. What a clever chap Stephen Schwartz is well done.

Se lo show fosse esportato a Londra sarebbe certo da vedere, come anche Newsies e il Kinky boots di Cindy Lauper...speriamo

Leider hat mich diese Einspielung nicht so überzeugt. Die Orginal-Version der Uraufführung gefällt mir wesentlich besser, da in der ersten Aufnahme die unterschiedlichen Charaktere der Song stärker herauskommen. Aber ich glaube, wer das Revival gesehen hat wird mit dieser Aufnahme sehr zufrieden sein.