Fifty years since it premiered in London – somewhat unsuccessfully compared to its Broadway run – Stephen Schwartz’s gloriously subversive Pippin returns to the West End for a 50th anniversary concert, staged at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
While many of the songs from this musical will be familiar to newer audiences, its story; a kind of play within a play structure, might be a little more allusive. It’s definitely never been the easiest musical to follow but despite being a concert version, Roger O. Hirson’s book feels clearer than ever.
Told from the perspective of a travelling performance troupe, The Players, it falls to the Leading Player to be the narrator of Pippin’s story. A young prince, the son of King Charlemagne, who has returned from university and is now searching for a purpose, something that is extraordinary.
Encouraged by the Leading Player, and at times his grandmother Berthe, Pippin finds brief contentment, whether it be as a farmer, a soldier, or a King, but always ends up as disillusioned as when he started.
Schwartz’s music sounds irresistibly good here, played with unbridled gusto by the twenty piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra, and accompanied by a fifty strong choir comprised of ArtsEd students. The opening number ‘Magic To Do’, sets the scene for Jonathan O’Boyle’s enchanting production.
That opening number is led by Alex Newell as the Leading Player, who continues to deliver an outstanding performance throughout, captivating the audience with subtle gestures or looks. Supported by Jak Allen-Anderson, Sally Frith, Amonik Melaco, and Gleanne Purcell-Brown as The Players, there’s a sense that anything is possible.
If you were lucky enough to see Jac Yarrow as Joseph, you already know what an impressive title character looks like. In Pippin, Yarrow takes this to a new level of brilliance, expertly balancing the misplaced confidence of youth exhibited by the young Prince, with the despair of someone unable to find their place in the world. Vocally, Yarrow soars, particularly with ‘Corner of the Sky’ and ‘With You’ which has the audience gripped.
Indeed, there are strong vocal performances all round, Lucie Jones shines in the second act with ‘Kind of Woman’ as does Cedric Neal in an earlier rendition of ‘War is a Science’. The highlight of the evening (as is often the case in productions of Pippin) comes in the middle of act one, which sees Berthe lead an audience sing-along. It’s even more special here as Patricia Hodge takes on the role, having played the role of Catherine in the original West End production.
The female characters in Pippin have never been more than thin stereotypes, but Lucie Jones makes the most of the role of this Catherine, bringing brilliantly paced comedy to the role. Zizi Strallen gives us a delightfully devious Fastrada, with a jaw dropping dance break to take us into the interval. The choreography by Joanna Goodwin embraces the legacy of Bob Fosse, and there’s not a step out of place by anyone in the company.
Stephen Schwartz’s magical musical may have returned for ‘no time at all’ (this is the second of its two night run) but Jonathan O’Boyle has dialled up the camp elements of this largely dark tale, making for a truly brilliant production. This concert version is the perfect celebration of Pippin’s fiftieth anniversary.
