Pippin opened October 23, 1972, at the Imperial Theatre. Ben Vereen, John Rubinstein, Irene Ryan, Jill Clayburgh, and Leland Palmer led the cast of the show about accepting oneself for who you are. The story follows Pippin, son of Holy Roman Empire patriarch Charlemagne, as he realizes he is just not the hero he wants to be. With a score by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Roger O. Hirson and direction and choreography by Bob Fosse, the show had a successful run of 1,944 performances.
Nominated for 11 Tony Awards, it took home five—including two for Fosse and one for leading man Ben Vereen. The show was revived by director Diane Paulus in 2013, winning four more Tony Awards.
Flip through photos of the production below:
Pippin Playbill - Nov 1972
Ben Vereen and John Rubinstein (center) in Pippin.
Martha Swope / The New York Public Library
Ben Vereen in Pippin
Martha Swope/NYPL
Ben Vereen in the Broadway musical Pippin, 1972
John Rubinstein and Jill Clayburgh in Pippin
John Rubinstein, Jill Clayburgh, and Shane Nickerson
Ben Vereen and cast in the Broadway musical Pippin, 1972
Ben Vereen and cast in the Broadway musical Pippin, 1972
Jennifer Nairn-Smith, John Rubinstein, and Kathryn Doby
Christopher Chadman and Leland Palmer
John Rubinstein and Jill Clayburgh
Ben Vereen and John Rubinstein
Martha Swope/©NYPL for the Performing Arts
Christopher Chadman, Jill Clayburgh, and Gene Foote
Christopher Chadman, Eric Berry, Leland Palmer, and John Rubinstein
Eric Berry
Irene Ryan
John Rubinstein and cast
Martha Swope/©NYPL for the Performing Arts
Leland Palmer
Kathryn Doby, Ann Reinking, John Rubinstein, and Jennifer Nairn-Smith
Martha Swope/©NYPL for the Performing Arts
Leland Palmer, John Rubinstein, and Ben Vereen
