Hands reach out from the darkness, enticing, imploring. "Join us," urges a silky voice. It belongs to a man in black, a bowler perched rakishly on his head. Barely discernible in shadows, the mysterious figure weaves a spell with his melody, inviting the audience to leave humdrum life behind while traveling to the exotic locale of the story that he and his troupe are about to enact.
The trip still proves fairly exhilarating in the musical "Pippin," which first opened on Broadway in 1972 and played for 4 1/2 years. Today, the Summer of Love vibe and Renaissance fair trappings freeze the show in time, yet a staging as part of the revival-minded Reprise! series at UCLA's Freud Playhouse makes a strong case for its story of fulfillment in a confusing age.
With the success of his music for "Godspell," composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz was able to earn "Pippin" — a show he had begun in college — a shot at Broadway, with Bob Fosse as director and choreographer. Fosse reshaped the simple tale according to his own vision, infusing it with slinky dance numbers and a Vegas floor show's worth of magic tricks.
New York's theater columns told of clashes between composer and director, but the show opened to mostly positive reviews and became a linchpin success for Fosse, who earned a pair of Tony Awards for his direction and choreography. The book, by Roger O. Hirson, tells the story of Candide-like Prince Pippin, son of the powerful Frankish ruler Charles I, or Charlemagne. The material is presented by a troupe of street performers in a style that draws upon elements of commedia dell'arte, vaudeville and burlesque.
As the youth who vows "not to waste my life in commonplace, ordinary pursuits," Michael Arden projects fresh-faced openness and touching vulnerability. In a smooth, sweet voice that floats easily into falsetto and shimmers in its midrange, he yearns for his own little "Corner of the Sky" (the show's best-loved song) while rushing about with arms open wide, an expectant grin on his face. Soldier, lover and revolutionary are among the roles Pippin will sample.
Urging him along is the sly, sexy and slightly sinister Leading Player — a role memorably originated by Ben Vereen. Singer and onetime "Star Search" powerhouse Sam Harris might seem an unusual choice for the part, but his vocal arsenal — with its flamboyant high notes and laser-beam sustained climaxes — is well suited to this outsized role.
Director Gordon Hunt and choreographer Dan Mojica evoke the Fosse style even as they personalize the production.
The dancers, who serve as all-purpose players, are perfectly sculpted specimens of humankind, barely dressed in mesh, lace, spandex and leather. Mojica infuses their choreography with pulsing pelvises, undulating arms, provocatively turned legs.
Here as in the original, one of the show's standout segments is its sensually bloody depiction of war. It begins with a trio of soldiers performing a music hall number that introduces a Nazi goose step into an otherwise cheery soft-shoe. By the end, the stage is bathed blood red (lights by Tom Ruzika) as dismembered body parts rain down. Adapting the stick from his hat-and-cane routine to a new use, the Leading Player casually swats at a limb as though playing a game of golf.
The slightly heightened acting style of the first half gives way to genuine emotion when Jean Louisa Kelly and Graham Phillips arrive as the widowed mother and son who will turn Pippin's search onto a new path.
Folky here, jazzy there, Ralph Burns' orchestrations are performed by 16 instrumentalists, including musical director Gerald Sternbach, who conducts from his keyboard.
The show ends differently than we remember, bringing the story full circle and poising it for a new generation.
By Daryl H. MIller
"We've got magic to do," sings the white-gloved Leading Player during the opening notes of Stephen Schwartz's musical fantasy, "Pippin." And, with one notable exception, magic is precisely what Gordon Hunt's production for Reprise! delivers.
That Schwartz's score kicks serious tail, we already knew. Songs like "Corner of the Sky," "Extraordinary," "Spread a Little Sunshine" and "Love Song" are more than musical-theater standards. In the right hands - and the right vocal cords - these numbers are the live stage equivalent of rock hits. Musical director Gerald Sternbach has the Reprise! Orchestra in fine mettle; the music, simply put, sounds great.
I'll get back to the leading players (and, yes, the Leading Player) presently. But first, a Bob Fosse bowler hats-off to "Pippin's" ensemble, one of the most solid a Reprise! production has assembled. They're on stage nearly the entire show, clad in the skin-gripping leather, decolletage et al. that has become a signature for the Fosse "Chicago" look. Designer Alex Jaeger supplements the outfits with a selection of vaguely artsy contemporary wear.
These ensemble players - dancers and singers - move with such agility (Dan Mojica's choreography is more open and joyous than in-your-face bump and grind) that they tend to make the leads look inferior during the smaller group numbers or solos.
Notably out of place is Sam Harris, who brings an anxious stiffness to the Leading Player. During the Player's outbursts of bullying, the action nearly stops in its tracks. Granted, Ben Vereen's are no easy tap shoes to fill, but this particular ringmaster is unpleasant more often than a seductive purveyor of magic and wish fulfillment.
By sharp contrast, Mimi Hines (as Pippin's carpe-diem-seeking grandmother) and Jean Louisa Kelly (as the rather token love interest, Catherine) enchant every second that they take the stage. Hines' Berthe shares her single song, "No Time at All," with the audience, which gets to join in, sing-along style, for the chorus. It's a warm, unforced moment that reminds us how much of a loosely formed circus/variety show "Pippin" is. Director Hunt gives us many of these moments. His production is the definition of user-friendly.
In Roger O. Hirson's book, Pippin, the son of Charlemagne (Conrad John Schuck) returns from his studies intent on discovering his purpose in life. He's not particularly suited for war or for governing. And although he perceives injustice, he's an easy pawn in the schemings of half-brother Lewis (Abe Sylvia) and his king-making mother Fastrada (Luba Mason).
Actors who play the prince run the risk of being overrun by the Leading Player and the royal family. But from the moment he is brought out of the audience and thrown into costume, Michael Arden demonstrates he knows Pippin's business. Blank and sweetly earnest, suggesting a young Matthew Perry, Arden has sung the role before (at a benefit concert) and should be on anybody's short list to perform it again if "Pippin" ever gets a revival. It's a pip of a performance in a pip of a production.
By Evan Henerson