For a musical about the son of the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, that ostensibly takes place in the 8th century, Pippin is surprisingly timeless and universal. After all, who has never felt that he is destined to do extraordinary things and who has never had to compromise on his ambitions?
That is the underlying message of a darkly tongue-in-cheek show with a sophisticated, catchy score by Stephen Schwartz and a savvy, irony-laden script by Roger O. Hirson. It first landed on Broadway in 1972, early in the “me generation” decade, and was revived and reconceived two years ago by American Repertory Theatre visionary Diane Paulus.
Although the basic material of Pippin is sturdy, if unconventional, it has long been overshadowed by its directorial spin. Originally, Bob Fosse gave the show his signature sense of sensuality and cynicism. For the Tony Award-winning revival, Paulus wisely retains Fosse’s choreographic style (reconstructed by Chet Walker), but she gives it a completely different look and feel by setting it inside a circus big top.
The episodic story line is motored by a Leading Player and his/her troupe of itinerant performers, whose aim is to seduce Pippin into starring in a fiery finale — his best chance for greatness. Paulus transforms those players into denizens of the circus, whose big top stunts and feats of magic (credited to Gypsy Snider of Montreal’s Les 7 Doigts de la Main) illustrate the plot.
For instance, a battle scene is suggested by red-lit bodies, sliding head first down a vertical tent pole. Pippin’s changeable stepmother executes some stunning costume transitions mid-song and, best of all, Pippin’s grandmother demonstrates her grab-at-life philosophy on a trapeze, high above the Broward Center stage, in the arms of a young hunk.
The show follows Pippin’s search for a field of endeavor in which he can excel. He tries soldiering, insurgent rebellion, hedonism and the arts, before settling for pedestrian happiness with a widow and her child on a rural farm.
Pippin may be the title character and the show’s focus, but he is a rather bland fellow, destined to be overshadowed by many supporting performers. The most prominent role is the Leading Player, a stage manager type who browbeats the company into luring Pippin to his immortality.
On opening night at the Broward Center, where the show continues through April 12, understudy Lisa Karlin appeared as the Player, slithering her way through the evening, sporting spandex pants which accentuate each Fosse hip pop. She is more than up to the assignment, but like Patina Miller on Broadway, she misses the essential menace in the role.
As high-flying Grandma Berthe, Adrienne Barbeau joined the cast in Fort Lauderdale, so her somewhat tentative performance is completely understandable. But she acquits herself on the trapeze, singing with gusto while hanging upside down. John Rubinstein, the original Broadway Pippin over 40 years ago, now plays the character’s father, King Charlemagne, with a twinkle in his eye and an awareness that it is good to be king.
Sabrina Harper is Pippin’s chipper stepmom, a flashy dancer who insists she is “an ordinary housewife,” and Kristine Reese is the heart of the second act as sympathetic widow Catherine who traps Pippin into marriage, for his own good. And as Pippin, Sam Lips — great name! — is athletic and musical, notably on a sequence called The Flesh, in which he experiments with artfully simulated sex.
Like the long-running revival of Chicago, much of Pippin’s dance numbers showcase Fosse’s pigeon-toed, knock-kneed style, but only a battlefield softshoe sequence known as the “Manson Trio” is pure Fosse, the snippet that was used in the original show for a television commercial that turned Pippin into a hit. This time around, the staging is more diffused, often breaking out into a three-ring hellzapoppin’ (hellzapippin?) of circus acts, intriguing wherever you look. This Pippin is a visual treat, thanks to Scott Pask’s big top, Kenneth Posner’s rainbow lighting and Dominique Lemieux’s sparkly circus duds.
Having been a big fan of the original production — with its puckish Tony Walton sets and star-making performance by Ben Vereen — I had my doubts about this new look Pippin. But it not only adds a new layer of entertainment to the experience, it will renew your long-forgotten interest in running away and joining the circus.
PIPPIN, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Through Sunday, April 12. Tickets: From $34.75, Call: 954-462-0222; Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tuesday, April 28-Sunday, May 3. Tickets: From $25. Call: 561-832-7469.