Review: Paramount's PIPPIN Shines with a Dark Sexy Circus

Stephen Schwartz's "Pippin" is one of those under appreciated musicals. It definitely has its problems but if done well it can deliver the goods. Well, the current tour of the recent Broadway run certainly delivers those goods. Not only does it retain the dark edginess of the story but it's also infused with thrilling circus routines that make it a crowd pleaser on many levels.

At it's heart it's a very loose telling of the history of Charlemagne and his son as told by a troupe of performers lead by the Leading Player (Gabrielle McClinton), as King Charles (John Rubinstein, the original Pippin by the way) rules over his Kingdom with an iron hand. His son Pippin (Brian Flores) is just back from university and looking for his place in the world and something to make him feel whole. He tries to go off to war with his Father and his dim-witted half brother Lewis (Erik Altemus) but finds he doesn't have a taste for war. And so he keeps switching from path to path to find what might fulfill him. Meanwhile his Step-Mother Fastrada (Sabrina Harper) is plotting to disgrace Pippin so that her son Lewis will be next in line for the throne.

Even back from its original 1972 roots the show had a sultry quality but now with the new circus motif to tell the story that sultriness has been amped up to 11. With skin tight, skimpy outfits on insanely fit circus performers and more Fosse pelvic thrusts than you can shake a jazz hand at, the show certainly has enough eye candy for everyone. But beyond all the skin and of course the wonderful Schwartz tunes, the shows circus theme brings in high flying aerial routines, balancing acts and a general circus playfulness incorporated with all of the Fosse-esque staging and choreography. And all that makes for a super fun evening.

The cast is superb. McClinton takes charge of the stage from the offset and never lets go and her command of the style and those Fosse moves is super sharp and precise. Flores is adorable yet grounded as the young Pippin searching for his way and his chemistry with Bradley Benjamin as Catherine is electric. And Benjamin's comedic moments are only outmatched by her heartfelt ones. Harper and Altemus make for the perfect foils to Pippin's plans and keep the comedy and outrageousness flowing especially Altemus whose swagger and pomp was a beautiful thing to behold.

And then there was the Broadway royalty we had on that stage. As I mentioned the original Pippin, John Rubinstein, is on hand now playing Pippin's Father but we also have Priscilla Lopez, the first replacement for Fastrada in the original production as well as the original Diana from "A Chorus Line", along playing Pippin's Grandmother Berthe. And while it's an honor to see these icons up on stage it goes far beyond theater nerd joy as they both completely walked off with their roles. Rubinstein shows off so much focused and experienced comedy as Charles taking him far beyond a character that's a means to an end for the lead. And Lopez with her lone solo in the show practically brought the house down not only nailing her song with joy and heart but also thrilling us with her part of a high flying trapeze act mid song that made this theater nerd squeal with delight.

So let's see what we have here, a fun Stephen Schwartz show, super sexy cast in skimpy costumes, circus routines to dazzle and thrill and Broadway history right in front of us. I honestly don't see why you haven't gotten your tickets already. And if you haven't guessed it by now, I'm giving it a nerdy YAY with my three letter rating system. Is it a perfect show? No. Is it a super fun night of theater? Hell YES!

"Pippin" performs at the Paramount Theatre through August 23rd. For tickets or information visit Seattle Theatre Group online at www.stgpresents.org.

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