Pippa Passes

Robert Browning

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Pippa Passes was a dramatic piece, as much play as poetry, by Robert Browning published in 1841 as the first volume of his Bells and Pomegranates series.

The author described the work as the first of a series of dramatic pieces. His original idea was of a young, innocent girl, moving unblemished through the crime-ridden neighbourhoods of Asolo. The work caused outrage when it was first published, due to the matter-of-fact portrayals of many of the area's more disreputable characters – notably the adulterous Ottima – and for its frankness on sexual matters. Perhaps the most famous passage is below:

The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven -
All's right with the world! (Summary by Wikipedia)

Characters:

Pippa — Philippa
Narrator/Stage Directions — David Lawrence
1st 3rd & 5th Student — Lars Rolander
3rd & 4th Girl — vanrose
Gottlieb, 1st and 3rd Police — Doug
Jules, 2nd Police & Monsignor — heyfd
Luigi — mb
Luigi’s Mother — Silence
Ottima, 2nd Girl — TriciaG
Phene, 1st Girl — Neeru Iyer
Sebald, Schramm, Bluphocks, Intendant, 2nd, 4th & 6th Student — Barry Eads

All tunes used are original and placed in the public domain by the readers. (1 hr 50 min)