Pippin - Hope Mill Manchester / Southwark Playhouse

Really? I didnt get that from it at all.

I think the explication of the ending came over better in the Menier production and kind of made more sense.

Exhilaratingly entertaining, funny first half, but second half flags because it fails to satisfyingly reconcile key story threads.

Spoilers follow. . .

In the A storyline, a character experiments with fancy lifestyles, but decides that an ordinary life makes him happy. In the B storyline, the Players playfully mock the main storyline, and focus only on the fabulousness and "magic" of life at every step.

It is the B storyline that entertains, amuses, thrills and has all the best songs: eg "Magic to do," "No Time at All," "Corner of the Sky," "Simple Joys." In these songs, the Players' mockery and comedy strongly support the theme that fun fun fun is paramount at all times in life.

The A storyline is right to suggest that"an ordinary life" is a wonderfully valid life choice, a tried and true life choice, but it is totally wrong in it's binary implication that such a life is NOT MAGICAL.

When you watch this show, you emotionally need the two storylines to reconcile in the proposition that an ordinary life is actually pretty fabulous and magical, and instead, what we get is the depressing prospect of magic moving on from our hero to another character. It's totally dispiriting, and a false choice. Every day in every way, an ordinary life can be filled with jokes, hilarity, insincerity, and all sorts of camp that get us through the tough times: the exact kind of "magic" and fun and insincerity that the Players infuse in every scene in the first half. Such magic should stick around, not move on.

So that said, I most enjoyed the youthful insincere campness of the Players, with Genevieve Nicole and Mairi Barclay being the stand out stars of this show for me, infusing every moment with powerfully acted, and heartily sung camp humour and pure joy.

I could watch them in the first half ten times and enjoy myself every time. I never want to see the miserable, unnecessary and downright wrong conclusion of this show ever again.

4 stars nonetheless, cos I had a ball in the first half. It was magic.

Pippin had a dull costume in the Menier version as well. I'd always assumed that the rest of the cast are players but he's been imported from somewhere else to 'play' Pippin. The next in a long line of people to play the role.

Also Pippin stops being king because the leading player turns back time and stops him killing his father. A very clumsy idea. Some people must have got it as it got a laugh.

It is a weird show but I love the songs. And this cast gave it great energy even if it is rather unpolished. I saw the Menier version 4 times. But I'll only see this once although I'm glad for the once.

The story of Pippin’s vest

Broadway Original



Broadway Revival 1



Broadway Revival 2



Menier


Hope Mill



Southwark

I think it was more the staging. It was one of those "marmite" shows. It was set within a video game with lots of graphics and projections and VERY loud which some didn't like.

So I’ve just watched the new trailer for this and it’s actually put me off a bit. The vocals throughout seem off and pitchy, with Pippin often being just above the note in Corner of the Sky for a second or two before he allows his vibrato to fix it. I’m always quite fussy about vocal ability in London shows, and from the trailer I don’t think I’d be pleased, but perhaps it’s one of those things that didn’t come across on video properly - does anyone that’s seen the show have any thoughts on the vocals, how were they?

So if it is, I’m left wondering exactly how he uses it to fix the fact that his voice is just above the note...  Surely it’s not that obvious. Is it? 

It had technical issues with the projectors that made the theatre very hot and were quite loud hence the loud music, They sorted the heat out before the end but it was too late.

I thought he sounded a bit off on the trailer too but his singing at the Hope Mill was good. He’s youthful and engaging but maybe not that charismatic.

Well, I really enjoyed PIPPIN this afternoon. A terrific production, delivered with energy and panache from a young cast.

The opening number MAGIC TO DO was thrilling - brilliantly effective staging, combined with that great song. The rest of the show didn’t quite reach those dizzying heights for me, but I still thought that the staging was excellent. I didn’t feel that it looked like it was on a budget at all, and often find that creatives are forced to be more inventive with their stagings if on a budget, and this often puts the big, flashy West End to shame. There were some really beautiful staging moments in this.

I can understand why people have issues with the book, though it wasn’t an issue for me. The story was easy to follow, and the fact that characters would have one scene and then disappear wasn’t a problem as this was part of the vaudeville/revue style of the production. It also presents some very interesting themes to think about, which make PIPPIN touching, and ultimately worth seeing - musings on mental illness/depression, fame, success, love, fulfilment and finding meaning in life.

However, I think the reason most people go to see PIPPIN is because of its score. I fell in love with WICKED when I first heard it, and whilst that score has ultimately lost its sheen for me over the years, I still appreciate it. PIPPIN is a superior score no question, with one stonking song after another. The singing was a little inconsistent in this production, but overall it was great to hear this score live for the first time. There were moments of bliss with the likes of “Morning Glow”, and other spine tingling moments from “Corner of the Sky” etc. I think it helped that the volume was turned up to the max, though this made the performers difficult to understand on occassion. The place practically shook at the end of the first act.

Well worth a look. Overall, a really impressive staging.

4 stars.

I saw today's matinee as well and here there are some thoughts.

The good: it's a great score sung by beautiful voices; Genevieve Nicole and Jonathan Carlton are fine leads; Rhidian Marc is an excellent Charles; Bradley Judge is always shirtless.

The not so good: the staging borrows more than something from the Broadway revival, and has its highs (most of act 2) and its lows (most of act 1); the choreographies were a repetitive and amateurish bore; having an actress in her 20s singing the gorgeous No Time At All stripped it of all meaning, I just kept thinking about Elaine Stritch's iconic introduction to I'm Still Here. Besides, the actress' parody of an older lady was borderline ageist.

It would be a 5 star drama school production, but since it's professional it's 3½ for me