Tony Award-winning Pippin to mark return of musical theatre in Australia

The Tony Award-winning circus-themed Broadway production of Pippin will mark the return of musical theatre to Australia when it opens at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre at The Star in November.

Set to be the first commercial musical staged in Australia since theatres were shuttered in March, it is being brought to Australia by Producers, John Frost and Suzanne Jones, along with Foundation Theatres and The Star, in association with Barry and Fran Weissler, and Howard and Janet Kagan.

Announcing the production, Foundation Theatres Chief Executive, Graeme Kearns stated “we must keep planning to reopen theatres and present shows like Pippin, even in the face of crippling uncertainty.

“We’re confident that if conditions permit, theatre-goers will return and demand for terrific musical theatre will be strong. It is critical that productions like Pippin pave the way, providing jobs for our talented theatre-makers who have been out of work since March. Pippin speaks loudly in a year that has been a complete circus. It tells the story of a young man who embarks on a journey to discover fulfilment only to find that true happiness is accessible only by embracing all that life’s circus throws at us, both the good and the challenging. Why settle on just a corner of the sky when the whole sky is ours for the taking?”

The producers and the team at the Lyric are considering all options to ensure the safety of the cast, crew, front of house staff and patrons. Currently the plan is to put all the seats in the 2000-seat theatre on sale, which would mean no social distancing among the audience once they are in the auditorium.

However, a range of COVIDSafe measures will be in place.

Kearns advises “with the whole theatre industry, we have developed a comprehensive Covid Safety Plan. The plan sets out the protocols necessary to ensure that our production team, staff and of course our patrons are safe at the theatre. The protocols encompass hygiene, cleaning and patron flow measures to ensure that the patron experience at the theatre is made as safe as reasonably possible.”

As for safety measures to protect the cast, Producer Suzanne Jones Suzanne Jones says that temperature checks, social distancing and the use of masks are currently being explored, explaining “it is complex. The mechanics of how we do that [is being discussed] at constant meetings,” she says.

“I think we are open to all possibilities at this point. It feels like every week we get more educated about this virus and how it works, and how it transmits. As we get more and more educated we will follow those protocols.”

“Live Performance Australia has done a massive amount of work with the health authorities, consulting right across the industry, not just in music theatre, to come up with a set of guidelines that we can all use as the basis for our individual plans. As an industry, all the different shows and different producers are trying to do things in a very similar manner so people outside (the industry) get some kind of clarity and surety and consistency.”

The production is built on a score by Oscar and Grammy winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) and is directed by Tony winner, Diane Paulus (Hair, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess). It features choreography by Tony Award nominee, Chet Walker, in the style of Bob Fosse and acrobatics by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal circus company, Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers).

Pippin has already generated many Broadway standards such as Corner of the Sky, Magic To Do, Glory, No Time at All, Morning Glow and Love Song.

The production has also won four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and Best Direction of a Musical.

Looking forward to the production, Foundation Theatres’ owner, Stephen Found, commented “Foundation Theatres is delighted to be reopening the Sydney Lyric in November with this brilliant show.

“We are a proud part of the wonderful tapestry of venues, producers, artists, managers, technicians, crew and creatives that all combine to make magic on our stages, and we want to see them back at work. It’s now time to act to restore confidence in the theatre industry for theatre-goers to feel safe when seeing shows again and for theatre-makers to weave their magic. To all who love the live theatre experience, our message is clear: help us to raise the curtain on Sydney’s theatres and reignite the creative industries in NSW … we’ve got magic to do.”

Asked about the future of Australian theatre, Kearns told Limelight Magazine “the theatre industry in Australia has certainly taken a huge blow this year but the extraordinary community of people who make theatre happen in this country are resilient, agile and above all, creative.

“They are ready to return to work as soon as we can pull a show together, and I for one cannot wait to embrace them in our theatres again. I am optimistic that the magic that they create, and the experience of live theatre will ensure people still buy tickets and come, and I will embrace them too naturally.”

Images: The cast of the US national touring production of Pippin (top, courtesy of Terry Shapiro); Sasha Allen as the leading player and the cast of the US national touring production of Pippin (middle, courtesy of Terry Shapiro) and Borris York, Gabrielle McClinton, Mathew deGuzman in the touring production (below, courtesy of Joan Marcus).