Review: PIPPIN at George Washington University

There are some Broadway musicals that became legendary because of their original staging and concepts. The 1972 Broadway hit musical Pippin is one of those shows. Without Bob Fosse's direction and choreography, which is considered iconic by many, the show would probably not have achieved the success it did.

George Washington University's (GWU) Departments of Theatre, Dance, and Music's fall production happens to be Pippin. Armed with a talented group of performers, the creative team wisely chooses to use elements of what made this show great in the first place.

Roger O. Hirson's book was never the show's strong suit, but it tells the story of Pippin (Steven Kelly) who is the oldest born son to King Charlemagne (Daniel Fanelli) and Fastrada (Emma Vollmer). Pippin is looking for more out of his life, but he's having a hard time of it. Fighting a war against the Visigoths doesn't do it for him. Becoming king doesn't work and even semi-falling in love with Catherine (Daisy Getz) doesn't help. In other words, Pippin wants something we all want in our lives, but never get...total satisfaction. The proceedings are overseen by the Leading Player (Madeline Winstel) and her merry band of players.

Now if the plot sounds a bit dry to you, you'd be right, which is why Bob Fosse infused the original production with a lot of humor and adrenaline to keep the audience interested while also making the characters larger than life. Unfortunately, this is something Director Roberta Gasbarre has chosen not to do, so all the warts of Hirson's book become way more apparent. The book scenes are played pretty much played straight and are mostly devoid of any energy with a few exceptions.

All of the energy comes from Stephen Schwartz's score and the dances which, in this case, are choreographed quite ably by Michael J. Bobbitt and Raquis Da'Juan Petree. There are plenty of homages to Bob Fosse's original choreography throughout the production, including the opening number "Magic to Do."

Performance wise there's plenty to praise to be given. Sophomore Madeline Winstel's portrayal of the Leading Player drives the show as it should, plus her singing on numbers such as "Simple Joys" really had that magic.

Junior Steven Kelly in the title role of Pippin did take a little while to get going. On opening night, his "Corner of the Sky" felt a little tentative. Around the musical numbers "Morning Glow" and "Extraordinary," however, is where Kelly really took off and showed us what he could do. He fully expressed Pippin's wanting and desire to have more in his life than what was expected of him.

Junior Julia Barrett only has one big scene as Pippin's grandmother Berthe, and like those who have come before her, Barrett knocks her scene - and vocal feature "No Time at All" - out of the park.

Sophomore Daisy Getz's Catherine is another example of a strong performance. Her rendition of "Kind of Woman" is one of the best sung moments in the show. Her chemistry with Kelly matches her singing, especially as she tries to woo Pippin to become a replacement husband for her and son Theo (junior Grace Mitchell).

The ensemble sounds nice and full under the direction of Patrick O' Donnell. Remember "Morning Glow" in particular has a stunning choral arrangement. The choir parts ring out and fill the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre with a welcome wall of sound.

Molly Hall's scenic elements include three tower-like structures while Carl F. Gudenius's lighting makes full use of the floor for many of the effects.

Overall, GWU does pretty much all it can to make an ok musical great. They've succeeded in a lot of ways and the talent is killer. Despite Gasbarre's mostly uninspired direction, I recommend you see this production if you can. It's always nice to discover who might be the next big DC area performer and Pippin at GWU definitely features plenty of candidates.

Running Time: Two hours and twenty minutes with one intermission.

Pippin runs through Nov 6th, 2016 at George Washington University's Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre which is located at 800 21st Street NW in Washington DC. For tickets, click here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.