PIPPIN to Open at Quintessence Theatre for the Holiday Season

On November 18, Quintessence Theatre will continue its 17th season with a presentation of Pippin by Stephen Schwartz, Roger O. Hirson, and Bob Fosse. Directed by Alexander Burns, the theatre continues its annual holiday musical tradition with the iconic story of a young prince in the Middle Ages on a quest for purpose and significance. The cast features local and regional actors Jim Ballard, Amber Janelle Brown, Megan Castellane, John Cuozzo, Donnie Hammond, Renee McFillin, Daniel Chase Miller, Alex Pletikapich, Sam Pottinger, Grace Szcezepkowski, and Marek Zurowski. Pippin is set to run from November 18 to January 3, with 42 performances presented onstage at Quintessence at the Sedgwick Theater.

In this beloved musical, the young prince Pippin (Zurowski), heir to King Charlemagne the Great (Ballard), is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh, and the intrigues of political power. In the end, Pippin discovers happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day. Told by a band of traveling players, Pippin's quest to be extraordinary helps us find the beauty in life's simple pleasures, and is a perfect holiday treat for Philadelphia theater audiences.

The cast of Quintessence Theatre's Pippin features Philadelphia native and Broadway actor Donnie Hammond (Quintessence: King Lear, Little Women: The Musical; Wilma Theater: Fat Ham (2024); Broadway: Moulin Rouge) as the Leading Player, the charismatic leader of a theatrical troupe guiding the story, and Marek Zurowski (Opera Theatre of Rome: West Side Story; Suncoast Broadway: Miss Saigon) as Pippin, a young prince searching for purpose and an extraordinary life. Joining them are Jim Ballard as Charles, Pippin's father and the powerful king whose pursuits of war and conquest offer one possible path, and Rhonda Moore as Berthe, Pippin's spirited grandmother, who encourages him to embrace life's pleasures. Daniel Chase Miller (Rare Accidents, Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth) appears as Lewis, his half-brother and rival, and Grace Szczepkowski as Fastrada, his scheming stepmother, who seeks to advance her own son's prospects. Renee McFillin (Kiss Me Kate) plays Catherine, a widow whose life on a farm introduces Pippin to the possibilities of love and everyday fulfillment, with Alex Pletikapich as her young son, Theo. The troupe of players is rounded out by Megan Castellane, John Cuozzo, Sam Pottinger (Pirates of Penzance, Rare Accidents), Curtis Harris, Amber Janelle Brown, and Cara Treacy.