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Regional Reviews: Florida - Southern Pippin Also see John's coverage of the 2014 Carbonell Awards, and reviews of First Date and Man of La Mancha
In this show, a band of theatrical players reenact the fictionalized tale of young Prince Pippin, son of King Charlemagne. With all the privileges of wealth, education, and position at his disposal, Pippin desperately searches for the key to happiness and purpose. But where shall he find it—in his "corner of the sky"? He seeks it in war, sex, art, and religion. He even attempts to take the throne from his father in hopes of finding inner peace in reform. In his distraught wanderings he stumbles upon a young widow named Catherine and her son Theo. Though he thought he was above finding fulfilling in such things, in the end he finds the answer to his search in the simple things of life—family, love, and home. In Pippin's heartfelt and humbled words: "It never was there. I think it was here." Pippin opened on Broadway in October of 1972 at the Imperial Theatre, running for 1,944 performances. The original cast featured Irene Ryan, Jill Clayburgh, Ann Reinking, John Rubinstein, and Ben Vereen. In 1973 Pippin was nominated for a total of eleven Tony Awards, winning five. The American Repertory Theater's revival production opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on April 25, 2013, closing on January 4, 2015. The revival was nominated for a total of ten Tony Awards, winning four. Sasha Allen is a powerhouse as the Leading Player, a character who, in this production, is that of master of ceremonies in a theatrical circus. She is a devilishly seductive voice that plays upon Pippin's doubt and discontent. She delights at the mayhem created along the way as it is all part of the plan leading up to the mysterious "grand finale." The rest of the cast are a troupe of players who are really pawns acting out the story. Allen has a big voice and big presence; she is just lacking in humor or mirth. There needs to be more of that between the Leading Player and Pippin as she coaxes him onward to mischief, and between her and the audience as she leads us along the way. It is indeed a theatrical coup to present John Rubinstein, the actor who played the role of Pippin in the original Broadway production, as Pippin's father Charles. Rubinstein is truly delightful in the role. He makes it fresh and funny without being bumbling or pompous. There is a childlike quality to the playfulness with which he treats the role. The production is also graced with veteran actress Adrienne Barbeau as Pippin's grandmother Berthe. Barbeau is still possessed of an alluring beauty that makes her look too young for the role at first glance (and even a second). Shockingly, in just two months Barbeau will be the same age as the character of Berthe, and that of the actress Irene Ryan when she originated the role in the first Broadway production. In the midst of engaging the audience to sing along to the song "No Time At all," Barbeau casually sheds her grandmotherly attire to ascend a trapeze where she continues the song while dangling upside down, draped against the muscular form of one of the male players. The concept adds new meaning to the song's lyrics "Oh it's time to start living!," and Barbeau certainly adds new meaning to the phrase "70 can be sexy." Sabrina Harper gives a deliciously polished performance as Pippin's conniving stepmother Fastrada. She is clearly a gifted dancer, as demonstrated in "Spread a Little Sunshine." The choreography for that number channels so much of Cassie's choreography from A Chorus Line's "Music and the Mirror," I was not surprised to see from her program bio that Harper has played that role. She is matched by Callan Bergmann's equally polished performance as her son Lewis. His smug smile and vain posturing establishes the dim-witted, self-absorbed nature of his character. Kristine Reese is charming as Catherine. At first she seems to go overboard nearly imitating Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in Wicked. Then she settles into the role with the humor and vulnerability that make her so appealing. There is a genuine believability in the romantic relationship she has with Sam Lips as Pippin. Together they have a lovely chemistry. Lips is frankly the only weak link in this production. His acting choices are based on the callow nature of the character, but it comes off as him being inexperienced as an actor. He uses repetitive, predictable hand gestures, appeared overly cautious during his few acrobatic moments, and has an unremarkable singing voice. He is somewhat saved by a degree of sincerity he conveys on stage, but is not up to the level of those around him. The use of a troupe of players to tell the tale provides a blank canvas for the set and costume design. It can be any time period and any setting. The story, of course, is a timeless one, the tale of youthful self-discovery. This production makes brilliant use of circus choreography, acrobatics, illusions, magic, trapezes, silks, and stunt work. It is truly a feast for the eyes with specialty acts worthy of Cirque du Soleil. The costumes are creative and colorful, and the music is well played and well sung. The show as a whole moves by quickly with so much to see and enjoy. So, in the words of Stephen Schwartz, do "leave your fields to flower" as you "come and waste an hour or two" reveling in this happy production of Pippin. Pippin's composer, Stephen Schwartz, is probably most identified with his smash Broadway success Wicked. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals Godspell, The Baker's Wife, Working, The Magic Show, and Children Of Eden. Schwartz collaborated with composer Alan Menken on the score for the Disney animated feature Pocahontas, for which he received two Academy Awards and a Grammy. He provided songs for DreamWorks' first animated feature, The Prince of Egypt, and won another Academy Award for the song "When You Believe." The prolific Roger O. Hirson made his mark writing mostly for episodic TV in a career spanning over 40 years. Pippin will be appearing at the Au-Rene Theatre of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts through April 12, 2015. For tickets or other information, contact them by phone at 954-462-0222, 954-462-0222 or online at www.browardcenter.org. For more information on the tour, visit www.pippinthemusical.com. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts houses the Au-Rene Theater, the Amaturo Theatre, and the Abdo New River Room, and has affiliated venues at the Parker Playhouse, the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, and the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center. Presentations at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, the Department of State, the Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Cast: Crew: The actors and stage managers in this production are members of Actor's Equity Association, the union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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