PIPPIN Will Be Performed Live and Livestreamed by The Seacoast Repertory Theatre This Month

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre is welcoming back a growing audience with its summer-season production of Pippin, the award-winning musical about a medieval prince and his search for a meaningful life.

The Rep is easing seating restrictions to give more theater fans a chance to return to live performances, even as COVID-19 protections are maintained in line with local and federal guidelines.

Pippin opens at the Rep on June 10. It will feature a new interpretation by director-choreographer Bryan Knowlton. The production foregoes the circus theme of many modern productions to cast more light on Pippin's personal journey, even while enhancing the razzle-dazzle movement that made the show a Broadway favorite.

It also promises to bring the audience into the story, reminding them that they are part of a live event.

"This is the perfect show for the moment, where the characters are offering their hand to the audience to be a part of their world. It's very inviting, so I hope people walk away happy and excited to be a part of the theater experience again," said Knowlton, a Seacoast Rep veteran who directs and choreographs regional theater productions across the United States.

Pippin depicts the journey of the real-life first son of Charlemagne, the emperor who unified western Europe in the Middle Ages. The prince, seeking satisfaction in life, is tempted by pleasure but caught up in the world-changing opportunities his position as a royal warrior offers. Elevated to the throne, he struggles and sinks into despair. A love interest enters and he faces a choice.

A Broadway revival in 2013 won four Tony awards and set a modern model for producing the musical as a circus-like spectacle. Knowlton, however, wants to let Pippin shine through without the circus. "I'm hoping to get back to the story," he said.

"Each individual has to face certain decisions at some point in their lives," he said. "Just like Pippin, everyone makes a choice for a reason and that choice is extraordinary, if you slow down to see it. I hope that the audience can see what's in their heart of hearts, and can hear the truth within themselves, because that's the journey of Pippin."

Even with its personal focus, the production promises more movement and dance than the Broadway show, which was originally directed and choregraphed by energetic legend Bob Fosse.

Knowlton has won several awards for his choreography and said the production was strongly influenced by Fosse. But it also adds elements from modern dancers such as Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor and more recent contemporaries.

"I have added way more dancing than there was originally," Knowlton said. "I have extensive experience in researching and seeing Mr. Fosse's work. I have tried to create my own vocabulary that mimics or is close enough to what he did originally, but have my own style."

Dancer-actor Holly Dayton, who has been a fixture at the Rep throughout the COVID pandemic, has served as associate choreographer. "It's a fantastic experience working with her," Knowlton said. "Our brains work very similarly. The way she moves her body, it's almost as though I'm using her as a muse."

Audiences back at the Rep after being isolated by COVID will quickly realize they are indeed part of a live production. The opening scene introduces a game-like sense of randomness and unpredictability. As with Shakespeare, the gender of the actors can be unrelated to the characters they play.

"I hope the audience can extend their disbelief and let the gender not be the main factor, but let the characters' choices and storytelling be what matters. We are going back to that Shakespearean way of telling the story," Knowlton said.

The Rep is expanding its seating limits to 95 for each show, about 45 percent of capacity, up from 70 seats during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mask requirements and strict cast safety routines remain in place. Select performances will also be available for livestreaming.

The theater has remained in operation throughout the pandemic, and recent shows have been selling out, reflecting pent-up demand for live performance.

The Seacoast Rep has signed onto a COVID-19 safety pledge by several other New Hampshire performing arts organizations including the Music Hall and 3s Artspace in Portsmouth. The groups agreed to keep following COVID safety protocols as the gradual resumption of live performances proceeds.

When audiences return to the Rep for Pippin, "They will feel safe and welcomed back," Knowlton said.

(Pippin runs June 10-July 18. Seacoast Rep show times are generally Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are available through the Seacoast Rep box office at 603-433-4472, or online at Seacoastrep.org/tickets. For student discounts, call the box office. The Seacoast Repertory Theatre's 2021 season is sponsored in part by MacEdge and Bondgarden Farm.)

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