Magic To Do
Pippin's Fantastic, Fraught Journey to Broadway and Beyond
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- €23.99
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- €23.99
Publisher Description
In Magic to Do, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pippin's opening, two-time Pulitzer Prize jury member Elysa Gardner turns her attention to this innovative show, the musical retelling of the story of Prince Pippin, son of Charlemagne, and his quest for an "extraordinary life." Magic to Do dives deep into the legendary clashes, backstage drama, and incredible artistic synergy that produced one of Broadway's most influential musicals, a show that paved the way for the pop-informed musicals that we know and love today. Full of big personalities, brilliant creative minds, and never-before-told stories, Magic to Do is an intimate look at a moment in history, a time and a place in which popular culture was as defined by conflict—between the young and the old, idealism and cynicism, creation and destruction—as anything else. Gardner draws out this friction through her examination of the creative struggles between Pippin's director/choreographer, the iconic Bob Fosse, for whom the show would mark a massive career resurgence, and its young composer/lyricist, Stephen Schwartz (of Wicked fame), who was making his Broadway debut.
Magic to Do, named for the opening song of the musical, clearly marks the lasting cultural significance of Pippin, which derives in large part from the timelessness of the search for self, one that presents itself anew to each succeeding generation, accounting for the show's enduring popularity around the world. Infused with R&B sounds and a universal message, it is fair to say that, without Pippin, there is no Spring Awakening, Dear Evan Hansen, or even Hamilton.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A 1972 musical takes shape amid clashing outsize personalities in journalist Gardner's fizzy debut. Pippin, which follows the medieval misadventures of King Charlemagne's son, enjoyed an initial five-year run on Broadway and many revivals, its success due less to its theme of youthful questing and composer Stephen Schwartz's forgettable pop score (the New Yorker called the music "competent but not very interesting") than to director and choreographer Bob Fosse's dazzling production and sensational dance numbers (one routine featured chorus members representing soldiers who left fake body parts strewn across the stage). Gardner meticulously details Pippin's first production, but the narrative is dominated by Fosse, who made changes that Schwartz thought to be "cheap, vulgar humor" (for example, he added the suffix "hole" to a line where a character calls another man an ass), juggled affairs with cast members, and had substance abuse issues (cast member Candy Brown recalls a rehearsal in which Fosse made them "move one finger back and forth" for hours because he was "on something"). The narrative loses steam when Gardner dispenses cursory rundowns of revivals, but readers will stick around for the meaty depiction of Fosse. Broadway buffs will fall under the spell of this showbiz saga. Photos.
