When I first viewed Pippin with Ben Vereen in the DVD of the 1982 Toronto production, I had one giant problem with it that was keeping from absolutely loving this musical; it was dated. Weather it was the hair, the music, または the 全体, 全体的です staging, the cobwebs somehow kept me from completely appreciating this wonderful musical.
And then came this revival, and it did just that. I can describe it in just 2 words: circus spectacle. It is easy to have a big Broadway musical that is spectacular in the fact that the spectacle in which millions of dollars are spent on it to make it look huge, but here, the spectacle is important, it is part of the story, and it makes the story もっと見る recognizable, もっと見る modern, and even もっと見る powerful. Watching it and all of the things it does made me feel not just like a 4 年 old chewing cotton キャンディー with my jaw open at all the fancy, difficult tricks they were doing without nets and closing my eyes whenever I thought a trick was going to be too dangerous and I was about to watch someone die right before me-which they never do (because they are professionals), but as an adult facing the 質問 of how to spend my adulthood. Yes, あなた will be amazed, but あなた will think too.
Most of the cast (except perhaps a couple characters), are trained circus performers and dancers. The choreography mimics the original production and uses the classic Fosse style (supposedly they looked at his original notes!), but this is definitely the most extremely physical 表示する I have seen, and the cast, especially the ensemble, pulls it off perfectly. It is a visual wonder, they perform on aerial swings, they jump through hula hoops, and they bend their bodies in ways あなた did not know bodies could bend. Most of the numbers have an individual identity; it has its own color, its own tricks and complex choreography and staging. Never once was I bored watching it onstage. As for the sets look, it was incredibly simple (a circus tent as the walls and your average circus stuff), and only had to change the lights または add a few set pieces from the fly 宇宙 または wings to tell us we were someplace else. For example, there was the green lighting and bouncy balls to make Bethe’s house as well as yellow lighting and wooden animal stalls to make Catherine’s farm. The costumes were also useful in communicating character while staying true to the circus and spectacle themes.
The performances were a mixed bag. The strongest were, of course, from the Leading Player, played によって Carly Hughes and Berthe played によって Priscilla Lopez. Both had strong character development, wonderful 歌う (and dancing for Hughes part), and were a joy to watch as long as they were onstage. The understudy for Fastrada, Lara Seibert Young was on that night, but she nailed the simple character of Fastrada. She looked like she was having fun, which in turn made it fun to watch her. Plus her phenomenal dancing was a huge advantage to her performance as well. John Dossett as Pippins father, King Charlemagne, was not impressive in 歌う または acting, but he was able to keep in character and be believable, but too believable to the point where the character of “enormous power” seemed weak. Rachel ベイ, 湾 Jones as Catherine was annoying at first, but her humor and unique take on the character- emphasis placed on her normality and plainness as opposed to the greatness Pippin craves throughout the plot- grew on me, especially her comic timing. Sadly, the weakest link was the central character; Josh Kaufman, the winner of last years “Voice” as Pippin. Despite his naturally good 歌う voice, he made Pippin もっと見る spoiled than sympathetic and gave him no interesting qualities outside of that.
There were new orchestrations, cuts and additions that did a great justice to the show. I will not spoil it for those of あなた who want to see it without knowing, but let me say this one thing. In the original show, there were a few lines and little scenes that either could be taken uncomfortably または glued the 表示する to its period. Cutting them (except for one line, my お気に入り from the original “Some men raise flags when they can’t get anything else up!”) except for a few of the もっと見る necessary “discomfort” lines and scenes trimmed the 表示する to what it needed. The extra scenes reminded me something about this show; it is hilarious. Pippin has a wonderful, smart, and sometimes bawdy (but not to the point of gross) sense of humor. The best addition was the ending. あなた can guess at what it is if あなた listened to the revival soundtrack, but adds a new dimension and closing thought to the story that in addition to the circus element makes it all the もっと見る relatable and powerful. It is one of the best endings in Musical Theatre history.
With all of these amazing circus tricks, with all of the people 歌う while hula hooping または being held upside down from an aerial swing, it is not pulling a Weber. It is not spectacle for the sake of spectacle. The circus represents the “incredible” destiny Pippin seeks. Even when he is faced with the realities of a もっと見る mundane life, there is not a break from the circus tricks because that is him trying to change reality to meet his own standards. However, it gets in the way of him being able to accept the happiness of the mundane. Pippin is a 表示する that 質問 the idea of there being a grand destiny for each person, if an ordinary life makes a person ordinary, and what someone is willing to do in order to be considered great. Whether あなた are an adult facing your mid-life crisis, a high school student about to enter college and form your adulthood, または a college student questioning whether your major is what あなた want to do for the rest of your life, than there is something in this 表示する will strike a chord with you. And the chord has never been struck in a way like this.
So overall, Pippin is an exceptional revival. The cobwebs have been swept from it and trimmed and fitted to fit this new, different generation. The simple yet creative sets and costumes clearly communicate character and setting. The main cast may not be at their zenith, but they all perform physically impressive feats. The brilliant circus staging not only makes it look dazzling, but it also makes the main themes and messages of the 表示する all the もっと見る relevant. If あなた missed the production, then によって all means, see the tour when it comes the closest it can to your town. They have magic to do, it is not a false parlor trick- the magic, indeed, is genuine magic.
And then came this revival, and it did just that. I can describe it in just 2 words: circus spectacle. It is easy to have a big Broadway musical that is spectacular in the fact that the spectacle in which millions of dollars are spent on it to make it look huge, but here, the spectacle is important, it is part of the story, and it makes the story もっと見る recognizable, もっと見る modern, and even もっと見る powerful. Watching it and all of the things it does made me feel not just like a 4 年 old chewing cotton キャンディー with my jaw open at all the fancy, difficult tricks they were doing without nets and closing my eyes whenever I thought a trick was going to be too dangerous and I was about to watch someone die right before me-which they never do (because they are professionals), but as an adult facing the 質問 of how to spend my adulthood. Yes, あなた will be amazed, but あなた will think too.
Most of the cast (except perhaps a couple characters), are trained circus performers and dancers. The choreography mimics the original production and uses the classic Fosse style (supposedly they looked at his original notes!), but this is definitely the most extremely physical 表示する I have seen, and the cast, especially the ensemble, pulls it off perfectly. It is a visual wonder, they perform on aerial swings, they jump through hula hoops, and they bend their bodies in ways あなた did not know bodies could bend. Most of the numbers have an individual identity; it has its own color, its own tricks and complex choreography and staging. Never once was I bored watching it onstage. As for the sets look, it was incredibly simple (a circus tent as the walls and your average circus stuff), and only had to change the lights または add a few set pieces from the fly 宇宙 または wings to tell us we were someplace else. For example, there was the green lighting and bouncy balls to make Bethe’s house as well as yellow lighting and wooden animal stalls to make Catherine’s farm. The costumes were also useful in communicating character while staying true to the circus and spectacle themes.
The performances were a mixed bag. The strongest were, of course, from the Leading Player, played によって Carly Hughes and Berthe played によって Priscilla Lopez. Both had strong character development, wonderful 歌う (and dancing for Hughes part), and were a joy to watch as long as they were onstage. The understudy for Fastrada, Lara Seibert Young was on that night, but she nailed the simple character of Fastrada. She looked like she was having fun, which in turn made it fun to watch her. Plus her phenomenal dancing was a huge advantage to her performance as well. John Dossett as Pippins father, King Charlemagne, was not impressive in 歌う または acting, but he was able to keep in character and be believable, but too believable to the point where the character of “enormous power” seemed weak. Rachel ベイ, 湾 Jones as Catherine was annoying at first, but her humor and unique take on the character- emphasis placed on her normality and plainness as opposed to the greatness Pippin craves throughout the plot- grew on me, especially her comic timing. Sadly, the weakest link was the central character; Josh Kaufman, the winner of last years “Voice” as Pippin. Despite his naturally good 歌う voice, he made Pippin もっと見る spoiled than sympathetic and gave him no interesting qualities outside of that.
There were new orchestrations, cuts and additions that did a great justice to the show. I will not spoil it for those of あなた who want to see it without knowing, but let me say this one thing. In the original show, there were a few lines and little scenes that either could be taken uncomfortably または glued the 表示する to its period. Cutting them (except for one line, my お気に入り from the original “Some men raise flags when they can’t get anything else up!”) except for a few of the もっと見る necessary “discomfort” lines and scenes trimmed the 表示する to what it needed. The extra scenes reminded me something about this show; it is hilarious. Pippin has a wonderful, smart, and sometimes bawdy (but not to the point of gross) sense of humor. The best addition was the ending. あなた can guess at what it is if あなた listened to the revival soundtrack, but adds a new dimension and closing thought to the story that in addition to the circus element makes it all the もっと見る relatable and powerful. It is one of the best endings in Musical Theatre history.
With all of these amazing circus tricks, with all of the people 歌う while hula hooping または being held upside down from an aerial swing, it is not pulling a Weber. It is not spectacle for the sake of spectacle. The circus represents the “incredible” destiny Pippin seeks. Even when he is faced with the realities of a もっと見る mundane life, there is not a break from the circus tricks because that is him trying to change reality to meet his own standards. However, it gets in the way of him being able to accept the happiness of the mundane. Pippin is a 表示する that 質問 the idea of there being a grand destiny for each person, if an ordinary life makes a person ordinary, and what someone is willing to do in order to be considered great. Whether あなた are an adult facing your mid-life crisis, a high school student about to enter college and form your adulthood, または a college student questioning whether your major is what あなた want to do for the rest of your life, than there is something in this 表示する will strike a chord with you. And the chord has never been struck in a way like this.
So overall, Pippin is an exceptional revival. The cobwebs have been swept from it and trimmed and fitted to fit this new, different generation. The simple yet creative sets and costumes clearly communicate character and setting. The main cast may not be at their zenith, but they all perform physically impressive feats. The brilliant circus staging not only makes it look dazzling, but it also makes the main themes and messages of the 表示する all the もっと見る relevant. If あなた missed the production, then によって all means, see the tour when it comes the closest it can to your town. They have magic to do, it is not a false parlor trick- the magic, indeed, is genuine magic.