BWW Reviews: PIPPIN's Magic Transforms TPAC's Jackson Hall

For 40-some years now, Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, the musical about an inquisitive young man in search of meaning in his life - and, notwithstanding, the actual meaning of life - has enraptured audiences, inspired legions of theater devotees and provided any number of young men (and a not insignificant number of young women, either, we suppose) with their go-to audition song in "Corner of the Sky."

When it was revived on Broadway in 2013, resulting in Tony Awards for best musical revival and best leading actress in a musical (Patina Miller, playing the Leading Player, won the Tony, as did Ben Vereen for the 1972 production...the first and only time to date in which actors of two genders won the award for the same role), Diane Paulus' vision of Pippin was hailed as a "Pippin for the 21st Century" and there is possibly no better way to herald the revival of the national touring company at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

The New York critics were right: this version of Pippin isn't the one that has played out on regional, community theatre, and high school stages over the past four decades - no matter how good they were. Certainly, the story is essentially the same and the memorable score is virtually unchanged, although the dialogue seems sharper and more focused - and clearly funnier - and the song tempos seem different, with orchestrations that update the 1970s feel of Schwartz's score for a more discerning 21st century audience. But with the scale broadened and the staging made all the more colorful and astounding by the no-holds-barred approach of Paulus and her creative cohorts, make no mistake about it: this ain't your grandma's Pippin. Rather, it's Pippin's grandma's Pippin and in just no time at all, you find yourself transported to a fanciful world of palace intrigue, ribaldry and farce, sex and romance - and all the other things promised by the Leading Player (played with such compelling and riveting style by Sasha Allen) in the show opening "Magic to Do."

Young Pippin's (portrayed by the inordinately charming and clarion-voiced Sam Lips) quest for meaning - subject matter that has provided many similar theatrical characters purpose over the years...from The Fantasticks' Matt and Candide's title character, to Andrew Lloyd Webber's biblical Joseph (he of the Technicolor Dreamcoat) and so many more - initially may seem predictable, you quickly realize that this isn't just some run-of-the-mill search for self. Although bathed in confectionary colors and amazing technical wizardry, which may be essential in this day and age, there's nothing lightweight or easily dismissed in Pippin. This musical theater landmark (and, again, make no mistake about that fact, whether you're discussing the original Broadway production or this cleverly conceived and realized revival) is vital and important to the genre's canon because it tells a universal story with such sublime good-naturedness that is belied by its deeper and darker subtext that permeates the show from start to finish.

Allen and Lips are enormously talented and tremendously attractive, inviting people into the play's sensual milieu, and then making them feel at home in the world created by Schwartz and book writer Roger O. Hirson. Allen seems a force of nature, commanding the stage with much aplomb and audacity, while Lips plays the callow, often clumsy, and somewhat shallow Pippin with gleeful humor and sweet humility. They are surrounded by a cast that elevates the production with the cumulative impact of their talents, with laudable resumes to match. John Rubenstein, who originated the role of Pippin in the show's 1974 Broadway production, now plays Pippin's father Charlemagne with his impeccably sharp focus and incisive wit; Priscilla Lopez, A Chorus Line's original Diana Morales and a member of the original Broadway cast, is a strikingly gorgeous Berthe, somehow managing to wrap the entire audience around her petite little finger and then knocking their socks off with her bounteous talents and remarkable performance of "No Time At All." The presence of Rubenstein and Lopez in the cast helps give the show added gravitas; they are Broadway royalty and should be accorded every accolade possible. Their estimable presence give younger performers, both onstage and in the audience, proof that a life in the theater can, indeed, last a lifetime and be filled with awe-inspiring moments throughout.

Kristine Reese is a winsome Catherine, artfully blending perfect comic timing with a heartfelt performance, and Callan Bergmann is deliciously outrageous as the vain and spiteful Lewis, Pippin's half-brother.

Paulus' vision is, like her young protagonist, extraordinary. Audiences are quickly whisked away from their pedestrian day-to-day existence by the sheer artistry and unmistakable magic of the theater. Calling upon a wide variety of what might be considered theater - burlesque, comedy and tragedy, wandering minstrelsy, the traveling circus and even commedia dell'arte - the production stunningly envelops its audience, transporting them to other-worldly locales inhabited by remarkable individuals who do things that elicit enough "oohs" and "ahhs" to render them speechless.

Quick-changes have never been quicker (Sabrina Harper's Fastrada will leave you breathless, thanks to her superb performance and the speed with which her costumes miraculously change), the show's pace is unparalleled and the ever-changing rainbow of colors will leave you thinking you have somehow fallen into a larger-than-life-sized kaleidoscope of wonder and amazement. Is anything as transformative as the theater? Not for my money.

Gypsy Snider's (of Les 7 doigts de la main) creative use of circus illusions to help propel the story along with flights of fancy guaranteed to impress, is perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of this production's technical innovations. The acrobatic performances of the ensemble are awe-inspiring and jaw-droppingly impressive. It's as if you're getting two theatrical treats - the iconic musical Pippin and a grandest of the grand cirque performance - all for the price of one ticket. Tying the performances of the actors and acrobats together is the splendid choreography of Chet Walker, whose work is richly inspired by the original Bob Fosse vision, but stands on its own with its high level of imagination and verve to infuse the musical stylishly and evocatively. The quick-on-their-feet and thoroughly committed ensemble add a sense of effervescent joy (mixed with down-at-heels despair at appropriate moments) and humorous whimsy to the achieve the glorious experience that is Pippin.

Scott Pask's inventive scenic design, which transforms the cavernous Andrew Jackson Hall at TPAC into a gorgeously appointed multi-ring circus tent, is eye-popping with its visual excesses. Kenneth Posner's lighting design sets the scene perfrectly, bathing the stage in a symphony of colors that light the way - and then, near the end of the show, creating a visual void that is stunning. Dominique Lemieux's costume are glittering and glamourous, cloaking the characters with beautiful raiments as they tell the story and, again, showing the impact of onstage wizardry in the show's final moments.

Ryan Cantwell conducts the show's orchestra with confidence, and the company's traveling quartet of players are joined during their Nashville stand by eight local players, who once again prove that we do indeed live and thrive in the place known as Music City USA.

• Pippin. Book by Roger O. Hirson. Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Directed by Diane Paulus. Choreography by Chet Walker. Circus creation by Gypsy Snider. Music supervision and arrangements by Nadia DiGiallonardo. Presented at Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville. Through Sunday, March 15. For more information, go to www.TPAC.org.

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