Berkshire on Stage

“Think about your life, Pippin, days are tame and nights the same” are usually not the first lyrics
that leap to mind when one says, “Pippin”, but they’re the ones that have always stuck with me.
Most folks of a certain age will pull up the hit song that crossed over into the mainstream,
“Corner of the Sky”, which, admittedly, is one of the most memorable tunes from the score. I
think that is what has always made “Pippin”, “Pippin”, unless you know what you’re getting into,
it can be a show that one can walk away from asking, “What was that?”

The production currently playing at Walker Farm by Weston Theater Company is a mixed bag.
Playing a smaller venue at the Lyman Orton Theater at Walker Farm, while their main home
completes renovations from flooding, this “Pippin” uses the more intimate setting to the best of
its ability. The players are close to the audience, they can use the entire theatre as a stage and,
in most cases, do so well. “Pippin”, itself, however, is a flawed piece.

For those who don’t know what they’re getting into, “Pippin” recounts the fictional story of Pippin
the Hunchback, son of Charlemagne (a brilliant and captivating David Bonanno). From the start,
with “Magic To Do”, The Leading Player (played here with flair and sex appeal by Tomias
Robinson) promises a tale of adventure, war and romance. Pippin (expertly done by a true triple
threat, Rixey Terry), a young prince, just returned home from school, seeks meaning and
fulfillment in his life. Throughout the show he tries various different paths to become
extraordinary; scholarly pursuits, war, and pleasures of the flesh. After each attempt he’s left
feeling disillusioned and unsatisfied. (Me, too, after a rather extra confusing dance break added
to Pippin’s step-mother Fastrada’s (Courtney Arango) “Spread a Little Sunshine”.) That is, until
he meets Catherine (wonderfully perky Alia Munsch), a young widow who, through her own
convincing, shows Pippin that the “Simple Joys” are what makes life extraordinary in its own
way.

What is never quite clear in this production is the time period. The theatre is glitzed out in wall to
wall silver mirrored pieces and a shimmering streamer curtain (by scenic designer Frank J.
Olivia, under the Direction of Susanna Gellert), so bright, I heard one audience member note,
“We might need sunglasses”. There are also disembodied legs hanging from the ceiling with all
types of tights adorning them. At first glance, the time period felt very 70’s disco, but it was
never clarified. Historical placement wouldn’t really be an issue, but when the moral of the story
seems to be that the extraordinary fulfillment Pippin finds is in the traditional family and
domestic life of woman, man and child, context of what that message is saying would be
appreciated.

Another oddity of the show (owning this flaw is the original writers Stephen Schwartz with music
and lyrics and Roger O. Hirson with book), is the role of the Leading Player, the troupe of actors
surrounding Pippin, and how they are defined. The Leading Player opens the show as a
conductor of the magic, but it is made more abundantly clear how much power they have in Act
II, when they begin to boss the troupe they have assembled around, in hopes of achieving
Pippin’s crowning moment of being catapulted to the sun. Two hours into the show, the
uninitiated in the audience finally realize that this troupe could pull anyone from obscurity and ask them the same questions they are asking this Pippin. Are we all Pippin? Do we all have to
make the choice between greatness and tame days? See what I mean; “What was that?”

This “Pippin” is packed with spectacle and talent, but it’s truly the construction of the show that
is the issue. Go in with an open mind, get whisked into the bright shining glitter factory and
“think about your life, Pippin”.

Weston Theater Company Presents: “Pippin”, playing at Weston’s Walker Farm Theater until
August 17. Purchase Tickets: 802-824-5288., http://www.westontheater.org. Cast: Courtney Arango
as Fastrada, David Bonanno as Charlemagne, Spencer Dean as Lewis, Barbara Lloyd as
Berthe, Alia Munsch as Catherine, Brooklyn Pergament/Liv Scott as Thea, Tomias Robinson as
Leading Player, Rixey Terry as Pippin, Aidan Curley, Evan Gibley, Melissa J. Hunt (swing),
Maya L’Abbe, Jessie Lawyer (Dance Captain), Nicky Redd, Mayumi Rhone and Isa Sanchez as
the ensemble. Creative Team: Susanna Gellert, Director, Felicity Stiverson, Choreographer,
Larry Pressgrove, Music Director, Frank J. Olivia, Scenic Designer, Jessica Crawford, Costume
Designer, Scott Zielinkski, Lighting Designer, Charles Coes, Sound Designer.

Discounts are available for Vermont residents. Tickets are available online and by calling the
Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288. https://westontheater.org