Directed by David Armstrong, the musical about the questioning son of Emperor Charlemagne will begin performances at the Seattle theatre May 2 with an official opening May 5. The limited engagement will play through May 21.

Louis Hobson will head the cast as Pippin with Keith Byron Kirk as the Leading Player. The company will also feature Mimi Hines as Berthe, Kim Huber as Catherine, Jane Lanier as Fastrada and Jim Gall as Charlemagne.

Pippin, according to press notes, "is an electrifying, tongue-in-cheek fairy tale that dazzles audiences with a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds. Prince Pippin, son of Charlemagne, embarks upon a quest for true fulfillment, seeking his own corner of the sky. He relishes the glories of the battlefield, savors the temptations of the flesh and embroils himself in political intrigues. But neither war, sex, revolution nor domesticity can satisfy him—or so he thinks."

Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the original 1972 Broadway production of Pippin, imposing his conceptual vision onto the bittersweet fairytale that Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson created. 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"). Ryan (the famed stage actress and TV's "Granny" of "The Beverly Hillbillies") left the show for health reasons and died during the run. The show ran 1,944 performances and was one of a handful of scores that brought a pop sound to the theatre in the 1970's (along with Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar).

Tickets to Pippin, priced $19-$71, are available by calling (206) 292-ARTS or by visiting the 5th Avenue Theatre box office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle. For more information visit www.5thavenuetheatre.org.