Review: PIPPIN at Gettysburg Community Theatre

The award-winning musical Pippin first opened on Broadway in 1972. Pippin features a theatre troupe telling the story of Pippin, son of Charlamagne, in his search for something to give his life purpose. It features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson and Bob Fosse. With beautiful music, dancing, and magic, and a thought-provoking story, Pippin is a whirlwind that captures the imagination. Under the direction of Michael Baker with vocal director Jamie Bowman and choreographer Chad-Alan Carr, audiences are invited into the world of Pippin at Gettysburg Community Theatre through June 22nd.

The technical and artistic elements of this production create a seamless experience for the audience, heightening the mood and emotion of each scene. The costumes, set pieces, props, and lighting facilitate the understanding that the characters are members of a theatre troupe putting on a play about Pippin. The sound balance is great, ensuring that the music does not overpower the singers.

The cast features Tea Antigiovanni, Allisa Baker, Jamie Bowman, Alexa Connelly, Kevin Foster, Jenna Ploski, Vanessa Rice, Lindsey Ringquist, Debbie Williams, and Rebecca Williams in the ensemble; Brody Rummel, Avery Walker, and Dexter Walker as Theo; Abbie Mazur-Mummert as Catherine; Betty Stuart Brownley as Berthe; Kyle Meisner as Lewis; Randi Walker as Fastrada; Michael Krikorian as King Charlemagne; Kaleb Smith as Pippin, and Andrew Metcalf as The Leading Player. The ensemble is an integral part of the show, taking on multiple roles as they help to tell the story. Their facial expressions are fantastic, and they bring the choreography to life with a wonderful blend of fluidity and precision. Their harmonies are wonderfully tuned, filling the auditorium with a wall of sound that simply soars.

The young actors who play Theo tug on the audience’s heartstrings as they deal with a new adult in their lives and the death of their beloved duck. Their acapella solo at the end of the show leaves the audience breathless. Mazur-Mummert gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as Catherine, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy as she experiences real feelings for Pippin, bringing tears to the audience’s eyes with “I Guess I’ll Miss the Man”. Brownley’s Berthe is delightfully feisty, and her vivacious rendition of “No Time at All” is a show-stopper. Meisner and Walker play off one another well as Lewis and his mother Fastrada. Their duet “Spread a Little Sunshine” is excellently sung and acted, drawing the audience into Fastrada’s devious plan.

Krikorian’s King Charlemagne is powerful and pompous—quite the opposite of the youthful, naïve, scholarly Pippin. His monologue in Act 1 is brilliantly delivered, keeping the audience’s attention and emphasizing the emotion of the scene. Smith and Metcalf are well-matched as Pippin and The Leading Player. These actors have incredible range, both vocally and emotionally. Their interactions with one another are beautifully crafted, keeping the story moving. Metcalf’s vocals on “Glory” are chill-inducing, and Smith’s performance of “Corner of the Sky” is the version that will play in this reviewer’s mind for a long time.

This production of Pippin is riveting as it combines humor, color, and fun with intense anguish, searching, and desire. The final scene is absolutely breathtaking. Gettysburg Community Theatre’s production of Pippin is one you will not want to miss. Visit gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org for more information.

Photo credit  Brooke Conover

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