Putting new pep in 'Pippin'

Chet Walker first experienced the hit Broadway musical "Pippin" as an 18-year-old peasant. A dancing peasant.

Performing onstage under the direction of Bob Fosse, he went on to work closely with the larger-than-life dance legend. Forty years later, he has choreographed a circus-themed "Pippin" revival, complete with acrobats walking on their hands and being hurled across the stage.

The show, opening Feb. 17 at the Orpheum, won four Tonys in 2013; Walker's choreography was nominated. We spoke with him recently about the show, how movement helps tell the story of "Pippin"and what Fosse might think of the new version.

Q: What do you remember about dancing in the original "Pippin"?

A: Everything. That show launched many careers, definitely mine. We sang to a full orchestra with no microphones. We filled the Imperial nightly. I'd been seeing shows since I was 9, but never anything like this. Usually musicals focused on a young woman, and the men were secondary. But this was about a young man's journey.

Q: Did you imagine then you'd go on to work side by side with Fosse and have a successful choreography career?

A: No. I thought, first you dance, then you open a dance school and then you die. I did those things and I'm still alive.

Q: This new "Pippin" features acrobats with yoga balls and hula hoops whose actions are overseen by someone else, Gypsy Snider. Wasn't it a challenge to make all the movement work together?

A: The word "challenge" didn't even come up because nothing was preconceived. We had no idea what we'd end up with. Using Diane's [director Diane Paulus] vision as a guide, we all just jumped in and left ourselves open to the possibilities.

Q: How does movement help tell the story of "Pippin," the son of Charlemagne on a journey to find his purpose?

A: In musical theater, the dance is there to help character and plot progress. In this case, I wanted to illustrate an understanding of how relationships grow. Pippin goes through different stations, from ordinary to stylized ordinary, which then becomes extraordinary. For "War Is Science," I made Charlemagne's soldiers move with a central control, like one big human war machine.

Q: Fosse's work is so identified with "Pippin," was it difficult to follow your own creative path?

A: It was easier than it might have been because I had already created the musical "Fosse" [which won a Tony in 1999] so I already had a vocabulary for what he did. My work draws from all the information I've built up over all the people I've worked with — Michael Bennett, Jerome Robbins, Balanchine — so it's possible to create something, rather than re-create.

Q: What would Fosse think of this new "Pippin"?

A: He'd be upset it wasn't his idea. He loved clowns and circuses, Fellini. Also matadors and religious artifacts.

Q: Why did you decide to keep Fosse's choreography for one number, the "Manson Trio," which draws a parallel between the manipulative charisma of the show's Leading Player and the real-life murderous cult leader?

A: It would be disrespectful to put Mr. Fosse's choreography in the rest of this show. It just wouldn't fit. But that one's perfect as is; it would be impossible to make it any better.

Q: Why was Fosse so interested in Charles Manson?

A: Manson was of that time period. War, Watergate, none of Mr. Fosse's work went without commenting on current events. Sometimes people want a spectacle, sometimes to look for what's underlying. The greatest comment he ever made was, "They may not know what I'm doing, but they know I'm doing something."

Q: What's next for you?

A: I'm working on "Heat Wave," a new musical based on the life and work of another legendary choreographer, Jack Cole. He's kind of not known now, but Marilyn Monroe wouldn't go near anyone else for her choreography. He understood her. Cole never worked with Fosse, but both had the same redheaded muse — Miss Gwen Verdon.

Kristin Tillotson • 612-673-7046