|
PIPPIN Send This Review to a Friend
The smartest thing about the revival of “Pippin” is setting it in a circus framework that enables dazzling acrobatics from a winsome supporting cast. The doings on stage are frequently breathtaking, and the acrobats also act as chorus guys and dolls, who can move sexily to the choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse, who brightened the 1973 original. Stephen Schwartz’s music and lyrics still resonate spiritedly, although Roger O. Hirson’s book slows matters in second act exposition. But any letdown is rescued by the dynamic performances.
In the spinning of the tale, Patina Miller is a knockout as the Leading Player who narrates and supervises the action. It is the role previously played by Ben Vereen. Miller sings powerfully and she is great to look at, with a figure that moves sexily. Matthew James Thomas is a perfect Pippin, the king’s son who sets out on a Candide-like course to find his way in life and give meaning to it. Thomas sings heartily and wins sympathy as he passes through his assorted exploits marked by offbeat humor.
The fourth wall is often broken with addressing the audience directly. There’s also the biggest showstopper I’ve seen lately. Andrea Martin as Pippin’s grandmother steals the show and leaves the audience clapping for more. By now it is no secret that she winds up on a trapeze. (Is the insurance paid up?) Not only that, but she sings while dangling in the grip of an acrobat. Martin is a master at milking a crowd, and boy does she show her wiles here.
There are other standouts, including Terrence Mann as Charlemagne, the king, and Charlotte d’Amboise as his queen, Fastrada, who can sing and dance with oomph.
Rachel Bay Jones is a sly, low-key charmer as the widow Catherine, who sets her sites on Pippin and embodies the aspect of life that can provide fulfillment. Resonating in the book is the revived spirit of the original that stressed the need to do something worthwhile to seek a better world. That’s as pertinent now as it was in the turbulent 1970s.
But the dominant quality of this revival is the explosive acrobatic feats of skill with swings, hoops, flips and assorted stunts, all accomplished by a stunning array of performers in the huge circus-tent setting designed by Scott Pask. Gypsy Snider of the Canadian circus troupe Les 7 doigts de la main is credited with eye-popping circus creation, and Diane Paulus deserves plaudits for vigorous direction that injects new life into the musical.
Every time the trademark moves of Bob Fosse become apparent in the dances, one may feel a rush of nostalgia. Those steps are unmistakably reminiscent of his style, and this entourage knows how to recreate the subtleties of his moving body parts choreography.
The new “Pippin” comes across as a big, audience-friendly Broadway extravaganza. And even though there is some second act book sagging, I could see it again just for the performance of Andrea Martin and the acrobatics. At The Music Box, 239 West 45th Street. Phone: 212-239-6200. Reviewed May 2, 2013.
|