Norris, Caylee
Thea 201
Dr. Erin Caron
27 October 2014
Annotated Bibliography
1.) Brantley, Ben. “The Old Razzle-Dazzle, Fit for a Prince.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. Ben Brantley the Chief Theatre critic for the New York Times wrote a play review on the Revival of the Broadway Musical “Pippin”. He finds the revival to be extremely successful and entertaining due to its original dances by Bob Fosse, as well as the acrobatics. He focuses on the physical elements of the musical relating to how enjoyable it is. He also notes how the cast did a phenomenal job portraying their characters, especially Patina Miller, and Matthew James Thomas. He notes that since he is a critic he is difficult to please,…show more content… Chris Jones similarly to Ben Brantley agrees that “Pippin” is an enjoyable show that many different people will enjoy. He seems to be extremely educated on “Pippin” and goes into detail about the original production, which is useful for comparison and analysis on the revival. He describes the revival as a mixture of revisionism, and keeping the old for nostalgic appeal. He focuses on the appeal of the physicality, and design of the show. He notes that the actors, and acrobatics made the show successful. He argues that the show needed the circus for spectacle because the, “Brechtian characters”, are not as relatable now as they were in 1972. He is arguing exactly what I plan on arguing except he does not go into detail. He mentions the success of the actors like Andrea Martin, and Patina Miller, but mainly focuses on the writing in regards to the characters. This is a useful review because although he does note that the musical is enjoyable he also argues that it would have failed if the, “Magic” of the circus were not…show more content… He wrote a magazine article on the revival of “Pippin” the musical and its relation to the Aristotle theatre elements. This is a very thorough magazine article that’s bias is towards the appeal of Pippin based off the writing. It discusses the thematic elements, as well as how this is a morality play. This article discusses the changes of the writing from 1972 to now. Although my argument disagrees, this is a good source because it will help me with my warrant, as well as understanding the other side. Rizzo clearly understand theatrical elements as he discusses tone, and character development. He notes that the musical leans towards magic until the very end, which is a very unpredictable ending. He does touch on the physicality and how it adds to the shows successes, but mainly focuses on writing. Overall this source challenges my belief, which is helpful in creating a sound
