"PIPPIN" at the American Repertory Theater - A Must See!!!!!

The official press opening for the A.R.T.'s new production of "Pippin" will not happen until January 3, 2013, so the performances that are taking place now on Brattle Street are still technically previews.  Small tweaks, additions and subtractions will continue to be made until the show officially opens in a couple of weeks.  Since that is the case, no one is allowed to formally review the show until it is in its final form, so this Blog piece is not a formal review.  You can expect to see such a review on January 4.  This piece is, rather, an early Christmas gift to my readers to alert you that Pippin is not to be missed.

A year ago, under  the direction of A.R.T Artistic Director, Diane Paulus, "The Gerswins' Porgy & Bess" was developed at the A.R.T. prior to the show moving to NYC and taking Broadway by storm.  Cambridge and Boston area residents had a chance to see an amazing show before New York audiences were even aware of its existence.  In the past year, a number of my theater-going friends have commented, "I wish I had taken advantage of the chance to see 'Porgy' before it moved to New York."  My advice to them is, "Do not repeat that mistake with 'Pippin.'"  In my humble opinion, this 40th anniversary production of  "Pippin" - re-imagined and re-energized by Paulus in collaboration with composer Stephen Schwartz and an amazing creative team and cast - will end up winning multiple Tony awards on Broadway.  See it here while you can - either in previews now or when it goes "live" in January.

Although I have press credentials for January 3, I could not wait until then to see what all the buzz was about, so I bought an "obstructed view" seat for last night's performance.  I will save details for my formal review in a few weeks, but I will say that I was blown away by this new production.  I saw the original production 40 years ago on Broadway (How old do I feel being able to make that statement!) and loved it.  I love this production even more.

Treat yourself to a pre-Christmas gift by attending a preview performance next week or buy tickets to give as Christmas gifts.  You won't go wrong.

Enjoy!  See you on Brattle Street!

http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/pippin