theatre review- PIPPIN - National Tour: ASU/Gammage - December 2

Click here to read my complete review (highlights below) at TalkinBroadway.com

Lucie Arnaz
Photo: Terry Shapiro

"The current Broadway revival of Pippin received numerous accolades and won four Tony Awards including the one for Best Musical Revival....While the book of the show still leaves a little to be desired, the pop-rock score by Stephen Schwartz is wonderful, including several showstoppers, and the direction by Diane Paulus expertly combines a circus theme with the story of a young man on a quest to find himself. This is an exceptional production and features several performers who come to the tour straight from the Broadway cast, including John Rubinstein, who originated the part of Pippin in the original 1972 cast...It is an interesting story about a young man on a search for his purpose in life, a life where living in a castle and being wealthy may not be what is best, yet living a life of modesty and simple joys might not either. It is a simple and often told tale but director Paulus has enveloped it within a circus tent that explodes with acrobats, tumblers, trapeze artists, dancers, and other magical moments that elevate this simple tale into one of mystery, suspense, and pure enjoyment....At the center of the show is Sasha Allen as the Leading Player...she turns out to be quite good in the part. While she isn't quite as stellar as Tony winner Patina Miller was on Broadway, and her dance moves might not be quite as sleek as some of the other performers on stage, she manages to create quite an impression...Kyle Dean Massey is Pippin. Massey, who just played the role on Broadway this year, is handsome yet instills the role with a somewhat nerdy, awkward nature which works well. ...John Rubinstein is now playing Pippin's father, King Charlemagne, and Sabrina Harper is Charlemagne's much younger wife Fastrada. Both are excellent in their supporting roles, with Rubinstein a forceful but fun King and Harper perfect as the conniving second wife who dances up a storm. As Berthe, Pippin's grandmother, Lucie Arnaz stops the show with her first act solo "No Time at All" that includes a nice amount of trapeze work which she pulls off elegantly with the assistance of Dmitrious Bistrevsky. It's a performance you'll remember long after the curtain comes down. Kristine Reese is Catherine, the young widow Pippin meets who makes him realize the possibilities of a simple life. She has a powerful voice, is earthy and charming, but also very funny and touching. ...Paulus moves the show along at a quick clip but also allows the right amount of time for the circus choreography and acrobatics by Chet Walker and Gypsy Snider (co-founder of Les 7 Doigts de la Main) to perfectly interweave with the score and book by Roger O. Hirson....Is Pippin a perfect show? No, but it is one with many magical and memorable moments and when combined with Paulus' re-energizing of the material with her circus theme it elevates it into a joyful and dazzling experience of a story of self-discovery."