Cast and Creative Team Revealed for Signature's Pippin

The cast and creative team are set for Signature Theatre's in-the-round production of the Tony-nominated musical Pippin, which will play the MAX Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, May 12-July 26.

The Stephen Schwartz-Roger O. Hirson musical will be directed by Signature Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner with choreography by Rachel Leigh Dolan and music direction by Jon Kalbfleisch.

The cast will be led by Brayden Bambino (The Flea’s Orion and the Goatman) as Pippin and Cedric Neal (Guys and Dolls, The Voice U.K.) as the Leading Player. They will be joined by Ellison Bihm as Theo, Eric Hissom as Charles, Naomi Jacobson as Berthe, Maria Rizzo as Fastrada, Awa Sal Secka as Catherine, and Ryan Sellers as Lewis with an ensemble that includes Ben Bogen (Frozen), Calvin L’mont Cooper (Mrs. Doubtfire), Candice Hatakeyama (Funny Girl), Georgia Monroe (Sunset Blvd.), Alanna Sibrián, Jacob Taylor Starks (Aladdin), Emily Steinhardt, and Hank von Kolnitz. Dylan Arredondo, Alonso Nicolas Waller, and Liz Weber are understudies; Veronica Quezada (West Side Story international tour) and Ian Rubin are swings.

Casting is by Charlotte Sandor. New York casting is by Geoff Josselson Casting.

Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the original 1972 Broadway production of Pippin, imposing his conceptual vision onto composer Schwartz and librettist Hirson's bittersweet fairytale. Ben Vereen was the Leading Player ("Magic to Do," "Simple Joys"), John Rubinstein played the searching Pippin ("Corner of the Sky," "With You"), Jill Clayburgh was his love interest ("I Guess I'll Miss the Man," "Kind of Woman"), Leland Palmer his evil stepmother ("Spread a Little Sunshine"), and Irene Ryan was Pippin's feisty grandmother ("No Time At All"). The show ran 1,944 performances, closing June 12, 1977.

The original production won five 1972 Tony Awards: Best Actor in a Musical (Vereen), Best Scenic Design (Tony Walton), Best Lighting Design (Jules Fisher), and Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical, both for Fosse. The 2013 Broadway revival won four Tonys, including Best Revival of a Musical.

“Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson wrote Pippin in the early 1970s, at a time when the optimism of the previous decade was giving way to something more uncertain,” said director Gardiner in a statement. “That feeling runs through the musical: a young man searching for fulfillment while being seduced by a dangerous troupe of traveling players who promise that glory will finally make his life feel complete. My hope is to restore some of the shadows inherent in the piece, creating a production that feels electric, seductive, and alive with danger—all with the intimacy that only Signature Theatre can offer.”

The upcoming production will also have scenic design by Christopher and Justin Swader, costume design by Erik Teague, lighting design by Adam Honoré, sound design by Eric Norris, wig design by Anne Nesmith, fight choreography by Casey Kaleba, and intimacy choreography by Chelsea Pace with Ryan Phillips as the illusions consultant.

Kerry Epstein is the production stage manager, and Tori Schuchmann and Julia Singer are the assistant stage managers. The team also includes associate director Clancey Yovanovich, associate music director William Yanesh, associate choreographer Georgia Monroe, assistant costume designer Channing Tucker, associate lighting designer Yannick Godts, associate sound designer Mo Oslejsek, and assistant wig designer Priscilla Bruce.

Tickets start at $47 and are available at SigTheatre.org.