Pippin, Book by Roger O. Hirshorn and Music by Stephen Schwartz
The Herndon Times Review
THEATER
'Pippin' closes season
By Michael Birchenall
Weekender Theater Critic
Weekender Section, Page 5, continued on Page 20
TIMES COMMUNITY
NEWSPAPER (The Herndon Times)
Wednesday, August 9, 2000
Pippin, the son of eighth century Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, embarks on
the Elden Street Players stage to try and find himself -- a kind of singing
Woody Allen character traipsing through the darkness of "Cabaret,"
falling into a forest of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and all laced
with the morality of "Godspell." Sounds confusing -- well it can
be, but relax and suspend all your inner disbelief (it's good for you) and roll
with the one-liners, the sarcasm, the pleasant tunes, the biting lyrics and the
message that always travels close to the top of the action.
This little guy Pippin is having to struggle with his inner self -- what
to do, what to do? -- with his life that is. It's not easy being the
sensitive son of a king. His mother favors the strong son -- kings are
made for war and conquering. Pippin's journey is told by the Leading
Player and accompanied by a band of energetic players.
Pippin, the young man, is lost -- and it is ESP's director Chuck Whalen who
follows the map placed in his hands by the author of the book Roger O. Hirson
and the author of the score Stephen Schwartz. It is the spirit of the
original Broadway director and choreographer Bob Fosse that serves Whalen best
-- his theatrical compass -- supplying the emotional edge to keep the play
teetering along the darker side without falling in. The Whalen direction
is capable and captures a fine feel for the humor that lurks about the
one-liners strewn through the show.
The music of Schwartz is vaguely memorable with a mostly narrative quality to
its lyric -- sharper for the sarcasm than for the music. Joe Gems, as
music director, and his quality small group of musicians give the fine
reproduction of the 70's soft rock style of the era -- the Broadway show opened
in the second half of 1972. It's become a community theater truism that if
the names Gems and Willis Rosenfeld appear together, you can be assured of a
fine musical effort.
Chris Smith loves his role as the Leading Player in "Pippin."
It is his role that sets the tone and tempo of the show so that when he's got
the rocking pace, Pippin moves along with clarity and the ensemble follows his
lead. Smith takes charge and sings and acts his way with vigor and musical
talent through the two hours of "magic to do."
Arron Rothbart gives a measured performance as the young princely
character. He keeps himself in control, too much so for my understanding
of the character, and delivers an acute acting job. His voice is fine for
the numbers he is called upon to deliver to tell the story -- with the most
recognizable tune, "Corner of the Sky," showing as a strong
interpretation for the young actor. Rothbart is steady -- actually an
accomplishment worthy of note when considering the uneven performance of many
who have tackled the role in community theater before him.
RIck Kenney as the king is wonderful with his comic lines and delights the
audience with their full effect. I still laugh when remembering the Kenney
utterance as he looks at his wife, Fastrada (Caroline Guthrie), slinking sexily
off the stage. "I don't know if the fornication I am getting is worth
the fornication I am getting." Kenney can be counted on to anchor his
part of the stage and as a true acting veteran gives nothing short of 100
percent.
Caroline Guthrie is deliciously sexy as the conniving, loose wife of the
king. She likes to wink at the audience with the suggestion that she's
just like everyone else in the audience.
Wendy Cohen as Pippin's grandmother, Berthe, has the show stopping number of
the first act. As the naughty, somewhat racy old woman, she becomes
invigorated by the male members of the ensemble. Throughout the show, the
sensuality of the fantasy world that the play weaves in and out of is
emphasized. It is at its peak in the number "No Time at All,"
that shows off Cohen's understanding and delivery of musical comedy. Cohen
has the audience singing along and laughing out loud for her one big scene on
stage.
In the role of the "ordinary" Catherine, Chloe Adler charms and
sings herself into the hearts of the audience. Adler shows an amazing
maturity as demonstrated in her steady acting and developing voice -- she's only
a high school junior.
"Pippin" is a lot of fun with its twists and turns through the
didactic morality inherent in its "message" and the, at times,
wickedly funny plot and random one-liners. The Elden Street Players always
like to play on the edge -- thus they have given us another solid production to
amuse us in a naughty way during the height of the summer season.
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