Pippin Cast

[ethan231h]

what is the Pippin cast?
is it the same as A.R.T?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

what is the Pippin cast?

That complete group of actors who portray the roles in Pippin.

[HoldThatThought]

To my knowledge, it hasn't been announced yet. But it has been implied that it will be the same cast as A.R.T.

[nasty_khakis]

Some of the performers from ART are circus performers and may not want to continue on. Some have families in other parts of the country, Orion Griffiths is developing his own show with his family in San Fransisco and possibly might not want to sign on, though it would be a crying shame to see him and those thighs go.

I'd imagine they'll keep the cast as intact as possible. The only one I'd consider replacing is Charlotte, but she's beloved by the Wiesslers and her husband is splendid in the show. They just need to redirect her character and add back the "Spread and Little Sunshine" choreography.

[everythingtaboo]

Seriously, Orion's got a bangin' bod. He's the one on the far left, right? Shame to see him go.

[nasty_khakis]

Yes, that's him.

To be fair, I just used him as an example. He may very well transfer. I was just trying to say that a performer or two may not want to continue on. Based on how he spoke and reacted during Saturday's talk back he seems really excited by this "new" experience and can't wait to continue. We shall see, and yes, his body is insane. Again, 'dem thighs!

[HoldThatThought]

^ Yeah, I was going to say, if he did not transfer, they'd have to change the beginning of Act II where he does his routine. From what he said when I went to the Talkback, that is his routine that he brought to the show.

[nasty_khakis]

It is! But I felt that with a lot of the "tricks/acts" they can fairly easily change it to be whatever acrobatic act the new performer specializes in. Again, I 100% assume he is staying on, I chose his name at random, honestly.

This is a video of his street routine similar to his Act 2 opener.-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eItF1FsYAxk

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Here is an article I found on Orion Griffiths. Those thighs are a wonder to behold. from RC in Austin, Texas


You can’t miss the acrobatic stylings of Orion, Alex, and Meisje Griffiths -- also known as the Sardine Family -- on a sunny day on the corner of Jefferson and Powell Streets. If the bold, baggy, crimson-colored pants don’t catch your eye, there's something about the energetic English accents pumping out of the subwoofer that have a way of pulling you in.

Pier 39 rarely disappoints when it comes to street performers at this time of year. Cloudy days be damned, if it's technically summer, a big heart with any kind of creative curiosity won’t be able to pass through tourist town without being reeled in by one of the different acts along the congested sidewalks. But who are these performers? How'd they wind up performing on city street corners? Who did I just give my money to?

Three second generation acrobats, along with longtime friend Kevin, make up the Sardine Family, a traditional circus act which weaves in plenty of comedic punch lines, showmanship, and charisma. And they deliver one hell of a street show. I was able to sit down with Orion Griffiths and get the story of how the Sardine Family set their clown shoes on the streets of San Francisco.

Orion, Alex, and Meisje are the three youngest of eight children. “We’re a circus family,” says Griffiths. “My mom and dad did street shows in Europe. My dad started doing street shows 34 years ago. I actually started real street shows when I was thirteen. I’ve been doing this for 17 years." The 23 year old's voice carries evidence of his parents' home in the United Kingdom. “I’ve done [street shows] all around the world. I’ve done street shows like this in 46 countries.”

Originally from Europe, the three Griffiths emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 2004. They moved to San Francisco last year to attend acrobatics school and perform their street show at Pier 39 as a means to pay for their school’s tuition costs.

Both Orion and Alex have been working on their current street performance, “for the past 10 years,” says Orion. “If you’ve got circus skills and you come out here, you probably will just flop, because it’s more about the talking, it’s got nothing to do with the skills you are doing. Even if you are doing double back flips on the street, nobody cares.”

One of the highlights of the Sardine Family act is the moment each performer showcases their trick specialty. They perform stomach-wrenching rag doll backbends and dancing handstands. They juggle on top of a nearly ten foot tall unicycle and reel off aerial backflips. It's amusing to see a family of tourists about to pass by suddenly do a double take, looping back to join the crowd that has already assembled around the Sardine Family. The act is flawless and the family’s chemistry creates an environment so natural and comfortable that everyone wants to hang out for the next trick.

How do they do it? Orion and Alex, the two emcees of the performance, are constantly feeding off the audience and vibing off of each other, making sure the audience is entertained in between tricks. And even after the 10 years of hard work that the Griffiths have put into the act, Orion is neither fazed nor offended when the typical passer-by -- well, passes by. “That’s part of street performing. They’ve got their own thing to do -- they don’t need to care about a street show.” Griffiths went on to say, “I don’t even get upset when somebody watches the whole show and doesn’t put money in the hat.”

But if you want to give them something, that's great too. Towards the end of one show both Orion and Alex jokingly say, “If you’ve got a dollar to donate, great. Five dollars, even better. If all you’ve got is a quarter…keep it. You need it more than we do.”

As far as making a living off street performing? “It’s very, very hard,” Orion answers. “You can’t always make a living, you have to have a side job. We’ve made it out alright because we’re pretty good at it, but a lot of these [other street performers] have to get a side job. They do it for the love of it.”

When asked about the people who criticize and continue to question the credibility of street performers like the Sardine Family, Griffiths responds “I love it.” However for the most part, he says that the Sardine Family has been well received by the people of San Francisco. “They love us, we’re English. San Francisco is a great place”

But let's be clear: all those lifts, juggling balls, and tumbles -- the Sardine Family performs in hopes of getting closer to a dream.

“Our dream is to start a circus, and that’s why we’re here in circus school. We’re looking for a group or an organization that would fund our show to start a circus. Once more people meet us and see what our story is and here about our background, hopefully they’ll be on board with it,” Griffiths says.

“We’ve been doing this our whole lives, all for the same dream. We’ve been training for years. We’ll probably train another year to get our act right before we try and start a circus.”

But at the end of their flips and tricks on the day I stopped to watch, the Sardine Family says something that makes their godly acrobatic routine a little more grounded – maybe even a little more relatable, in this town of artists.

“We’re not hustlers, we’re performers. We do this because we love it.”
(San Francisco Bay Guardian online)
Orion Griffiths