Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment & Carter Dixon McGill Productions present
The 50th Anniversary concert
Pippin in Concert
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Roger O. Hirson
starring
Tony Award-winning star of Broadway’s Shucked and TV’s Glee
Alex Newell as the Leading Player
with The London Musical Theatre Orchestra
and a 50-strong choir
Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle
Musical Director Chris Ma
London Palladium
Monday 1 April & Tuesday 2 April
There’s magic to do in the 50th anniversary concert production of PIPPIN at London’s iconic Palladium starring Tony Award-winning Broadway star of Shucked, Grammy nominated Alex Newell and featuring a 25-piece orchestra and 50-strong choir.
With an infectiously unforgettable score from four-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar winner and musical theatre giant, Stephen Schwartz, including the classic songs Corner of the Sky and Magic to Do, Pippin is a soul-searching exploration of one man’s journey to find himself, his place and purpose in life.
Heir to the Frankish throne, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfilment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power (after disposing of his father, King Charlemagne the Great). In the end, though, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavours, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.
Stephen Schwartz said: “Although there have been some excellent recent productions of Pippin in the UK, the show never gets to be heard with a full live orchestra and choir. This concert, with a cast led by the astonishing Alex Newell and produced under the always first-rate auspices of Katy Lipson’s Aria Entertainment and Carter Dixon McGill, promises to be a once-in-a-blue-moon event. I for one cannot wait to experience it!”
Further cast to be announced.
Creative team includes:
Director Jonathan O’Boyle
Musical Director Chris Ma
Casting Director Jane Deitch
Producers Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment & Carter Dixon McGill Productions
Stephen Schwartz – Music & Lyrics
Stephen Schwartz is probably best known in the UK for his scores for Wicked and Godspell. Other shows to which he contributed music and/or lyrics, and which have been seen in the UK include
Pippin, The Baker’s Wife, Children of Eden, Working, Rags and The Prince of Egypt. He has also written songs for two musicals for young audiences which have been performed here: My Son Pinocchio Jr and Captain Louie. For film, he collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’s Enchanted, as well as the animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt. In the classical field, he has composed the opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon and co-wrote the English texts with Leonard Bernstein for Bernstein’s Mass. Awards include: three Academy Awards, four GRAMMY Awards and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award. Mr Schwartz has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. A book about his career, Defying Gravity, is published by Applause Books. Those interested in additional information are invited to visit www.stephenschwartz.com.
Roger O. Hirson – BookRoger O. Hirson wrote extensively for the theatre, movies, and television. His Broadway credits include Pippin and Walking Happy, both nominated for the Tony Award. Off-Broadway: Journey to the Day, World War 2½. He won the Emmy for his six-hour television mini-series A Woman Named Jackie. Mr. Hirson’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol, which starred George C. Scott, was honoured by a Royal Command performance. He wrote the film Demon Seed, starring Julie Christie and the story for The Bridge at Remagen.
Alex Newell – Leading Player
Alex Newell became the first openly nonbinary performer to win a Tony Award in an acting category for their role as Lulu in Shucked, that has just closed on Broadsway. Alex stopped the show at every performance with a standing ovation for their act one song, Independently Owned. They are also known for their role as Unique Adams on the TV series Glee and Mo on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island at the Circle in the Square Theatre in 2018.
Jonathan O’Boyle – Director
Jonathan is an award-wining theatre director. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Birkbeck, University of London where he graduated with an MFA in Theatre Directing. He was previously Trainee Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre and Associate Director at Theatre503. Jonathan won Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Production at the 2021 Off-West End Awards for his production of The Last Five Years. His production of Hair won the 2018 WhatsOnStage award for Best Off-West End production. His productions of The View Upstairs and The Last Five Years were also nominated for WhatsOnStage Awards. Directing credits include: Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical (The Other Palace); Calendar Girls The Musical (UK Tour, Bill Kenwright Ltd); The Last Five Years (Garrick Theatre, West End/International Tour/Southwark Playhouse); Wish You Were Dead and Looking Good Dead (UK Tour, Peter James Productions); Hair (Hope Mill Theatre/The Vaults/UK & International Tours. WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production); Top Hat (The Mill at Sonning); A Guide for the Homesick, Rasheeda Speaking and Bash Latterday Plays (Trafalgar Studios); Proud (Turbine Theatre); The View Upstairs (Soho Theatre); Rain Man (UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd); Aspects of Love and Pippin (Hope Mill Theatre/Southwark Playhouse); Cruel Intentions (Bill Kenwright Ltd); This House (Headlong and National Theatre, UK Tour, co-directed with Jeremy Herrin); Dear Brutus (Southwark Playhouse); The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit (Hope Mill Theatre); Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cadogan Hall); Peter Pan (Park Theatre); Four Play and Sense of an Ending (Theatre503); The Surplus and All The Ways To Say Goodbye (Young Vic); The Wedding Singer, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Season’s Greetings (ArtsEd). Upcoming theatre includes: Jekyll & Hyde, White Christmas.Associate Director credits include: An American In Paris (Dominion Theatre); The Judas Kiss (Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York and Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto); Amadeus (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic); Bull (Sheffield Theatres and Young Vic).
Alongside his directing work, Jonathan is the Director of the School of Musical Theatre at ArtsEd.
Chris Ma – Musical Director
Chris trained at the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Theatre Credits: Disney The Castle (Riyadh Season), Death Note (Palladium/Lyric), Newsies (Wembley Troubadour), Dear Evan Hansen (Noel Coward), The Sound of Music (Tallinn, Estonia), John and Jen (Southwark and Broadway HD), Once On This Island, Bring It On (Southwark), Pippin, Violet, Mythic – World Premiere (Charing Cross), Hamilton (Victoria Palace), The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Leicester Curve), Parade (London Theatre Workshop and Guildhall), 13 (Ambassadors, Minack, Cadogan Hall), Travels With My Aunt (Chichester), The Color Purple (Cadogan Hall). Films Credits: Greatest Days (Take That), My Policeman (Amazon). Cast Recording Credits: Death Note, John and Jen, Mythic
Insta/Twitter: @_chrisma____
W: Chrisma.uk
Aria Entertainment – Producer
Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by award winning Producer Katy Lipson. In 10 years, she has produced over 80 productions in the West End, Off-West End and across the UK. Her most recent credits include the World Premiere of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at @sohoplace, ‘Cruise’, which received an Olivier nomination for Best New Play and is now being developed as a film after two sell-out runs at the Duchess Theatre and Apollo Theatre, and the critically acclaimed transfer of ‘The Last Five Years’ to the West End. She is also a producer of several major UK tours including ‘The Osmonds’, ‘The Cher Show’, ‘Hair’,’ The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ and ‘The Addams Family’. Several of these productions have since been produced internationally, including ‘The Addams Family’ (Singapore), ‘Hair’ (Germany) and upcoming runs of ‘The Last Five Years’, ‘Zorro’ and ‘Broken Wings’ around the world. For several years, Katy was the Producing Artistic Director of the renowned Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, creating and producing productions, many of which transferred to London. During her tenure she worked with Stephen Schwartz on creating a re-imagined version of ‘Rags’ and presented the first production of Jerry Herman’s ‘Mame’ in the UK for over 50 years. In 2017, Lipson was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and in 2019 was nominated for International Producer of the Year by the League of Professional Theatre Women in New York. She is a recipient of the Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award and works as a mentor on their Bursary and Bridge the Gap programmes. In 2018 she was included in “The Stage 100” list and in 2019 and 2020 for her work at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and again in 2021 for her work as a solo producer. Lipson is at the forefront of new musical development in the UK, having set up the From Page to Stage festival to support new musicals at all difference stages of development. In 6 years, From Page to Stage has given a platform to over 100 new musicals; many of which have gone on to have full productions and be licensed worldwide. It is a keen passion of hers to cultivate new musicals that can have a long-lasting legacy in the West End, on Broadway and all around the world. Twitter: @ariaents
Carter Dixon McGill Productions – Producer
Carter Dixon McGill Productions are an Olivier nominated production and general management company with offices in London and Glasgow. Co-founded by John-Webb Carter, Jamie Chapman Dixon & Stephen McGill, they have over 30 years of experience within the entertainment industry. Recent productions include: Death Note the Musical (Palladium & Lyric theatre), Wonderville: The Future of Magic (MSC Meraviglia, New York), Your Lie in April (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Blippi’s Wonderful World (UK Tour), Treason (UK Tour), Wonderville: The Home of Magic (MSC Meraviglia, New York) & Blippi the Musical (Apollo Theatre & Lyric Theatre). General Management productions include: Tarantino Live (Riverside Studios), Wild About You (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Trompe L’oeil (The Other Palace), Immersive 1984 (Hackney Town Hall), Dark Sublime (Trafalgar Studios) & Figaro the musical (NYC) Previous productions include: Chess the Musical in Concert (Drury Lane Theatre); Kinky Boots the Musical in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Treason the Musical in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Wonderville: Magic & Illusion (Palace Theatre, London); Death Drop (Criterion Theatre, Garrick Theatre & UK Tour), Wonderville Haymarket, Icon: The K-pop Musical (Workshop); Operation Crucible (Sheffield Crucible); Tomorrow Morning (Feature Film); The Pyjama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre, London); Fame (International Tour & West End); the Art of Banksy (Exhibition); Madagascar (International Tour);Spamalot (UK, Dubai & South Korea); Hair 50th Anniversary
Production (UK Tour), The Steamie (SSE Hydro in Glasgow); The 39 Steps (Windsor Theatre Royal); Operation Crucible (59E59 Theatre, New York); Tonight at the London Coliseum (London Coliseum); Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (UK Tour); Lottys War (UK Tour); American Idiot (UK Tour & Arts theatre); Crucible (UK Tour); Judy! (Arts Theatre); Footloose (UK Tour); Flashdance (UK Tour); Of Mice & Men (UK Tour); Treason the Musical In Concert (Cadogan Hall); Little Shop of Horrors (UK Tour); The Crucible (UK Tour); The Last of the De Mullins (Jermyn Street Theatre); Facing East: In Concert (Lyric Theatre); The Tailor Made Man (Arts Theatre); An Incident at the Border (Trafalgar Studios) and Pippin (Southwark Playhouse).
Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment &
Carter Dixon McGill Productions
present
Pippin
in Concert
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Book by Roger O. Hirson
starring
Tony Award-winning Alex Newell
with
The London Musical Theatre Orchestra
Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle
Musical Director Chris Ma
London Palladium
8 Argyll St,
London
W1F 7TF
Monday 1 April & Tuesday 2 April
at 7.30pm
running time: 2 hours 20mins
age recommendation: PG
Tickets from £25
Tickets:
LW Priority on sale Wednesday 20 January
at 11am
General on sale – Thursday 1st February
Booking link:
www.lwtheatres.co.uk
Originally Produced on the Broadway Stage by Stuart Ostrow
Directed on the Broadway Stage by Bob Fosse
2013 Broadway Revival Directed by Diane Paulus
Theo ending originally conceived in 1998 by Mitch Sebastian
Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International
www.MTIShows.co.uk
