Broadway's Original PIPPIN Joins the Tony-Winning Cast a Day Early

Tony Award winner John Rubinstein, who made his Broadway debut and received a Theater World Award for creating the title role in the original 1972 production of Pippin, will join the all-new Tony Award winning production of Pippin in the role of "Charles." Mr. Rubinstein will play a limited engagement. He was originally scheduled to begin on Friday, but instead, he will start tonight, June 19, and run until Sunday, July 27, 2014 He is filling in for Terrance Mann's leave of absence. Pippin is now playing at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street).

Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Tony Award winning musical comedy Pippin is directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulusand features choreography by Tony Award nominee Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers).

The current cast features Kyle Dean Massey as Pippin, Ciara Renée as Leading Player, Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Charles, Tony Award nominee Charlotte d'Amboise as Fastrada, Rachel Bay Jones as Catherine and Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee Annie Potts as Berthe. Other members of the company include Erik Altemus, Luke Kolbe Mannikus, Ashton Woerz, Colin Cunliffe, Fernando Dudka, Andrew Fitch, Orion Griffiths, Sabrina Harper, Kelsey Jamieson, Preston Jamieson, Olga Karmansky, Richard Maguire, Gabrielle McClinton, Bethany Moore, Brad Musgrove, Mirela Golinska Roche, Billy Harrigan Tighe, Molly Tynes, Anthony Wayne.

PIPPIN is the winner of four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical (Diane Paulus). The show is also the recipient of four Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diana Paulus) and Outstanding Choreography (Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider). The production also led the winners of the Outer Critics Circle Awards with seven wins including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Outstanding Choreographer (Chet Walker), Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Terrence Mann). Pippinreceived the Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and two Fred and Adele Astaire Awards including Outstanding Choreographer of a Broadway Show (Chet Walker) and Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show (Charlotte d'Amboise).

With a book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Pippin features music supervision and arrangements by Nadia DiGiallonardo, orchestrations by Tony Award winner Larry Hochman, scenic design by Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costume design by Tony Award nominee Dominique Lemieux, lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Award nominees Jonathan Deans and Garth Helm.

Barry & Fran Weissler and Howard & Janet Kagan present the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) production ofPippin with Lisa Matlin, Kyodo Tokyo, A&A Gordon/Brunish Trinchero, Tom Smedes/Peter Stern, Broadway Across America, Independent Presenters Network, Norton Herrick, Allen Spivak, Rebecca Gold, Joshua Goodman, Steve McManus, David Robbins/Bryan S. Weingarten, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, Jim Kierstead/Carlos Arana/Myla Lerner, Hugh Hayes/Jamie Cesa/Jonathan Reinis, Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Ben Feldman, Square 1 Theatrics, Wendy Federman/Carl Moellenberg, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Infinity Theatre Company/Michael Rubenstein, Michael A. Alden/Dale Badway/Ken Mahoney.

Royal heir Pippin is spurred on by a mysterious group of performers to embark on a death-defying journey to find his "corner of the sky." The original production of Pippin, directed by Bob Fosse, premiered on Broadway in 1972. It won five Tony Awards and five Drama Desk Awards, and ran for close to 2000 performances before closing in 1977. This production of Pippin made its debut at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, MA, where Diane Paulusserves as Artistic Director; December 5, 2012 to January 20, 2013. Pippin is noted for many Broadway standards including "Corner of the Sky," "Magic To Do," "Glory," "No Time at All," "Morning Glow," and "Love Song."

PIPPIN will launch a US national tour in September 2014, at the Buell Theatre in Denver, CO. Productions are also planned for London, Australia and Amsterdam in 2015. The New Broadway Cast Recording for Pippin is now available on Ghostlight Records.

Photo Credit: Sarah De Boer / Retna Ltd.