"Pippin" at Bass Hall presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth

PIPPIN
program

The Travelling Toe and friend hobbled to Bass Hall to see the touring production of "Pippin"presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth.

Bass Hall

PIPPIN
cast picture

Having never seen "Pippin" before we were not totally sure what the storyline was.  The fable centers on Pippin (of course) who is the son of legendary King Charlemagne. 

Side Note:  In this production John Rubinstein played the King, but in fact he actually played Pippin in the original version when it opened on Broadway in 1972.

John Rubinstein

The MC, called The Leading Player, begins the show by coming on stage to invite the audience to watch a circus troupe help tell Pippin's story.  

Pippin, heir to the throne, is not a strong and mighty warrior like his step-brother Lewis and is searching for the real meaning and purpose for his life.  He first decides to become a soldier and goes to war with his father and step-brother.  But Pippin finds that war is not the answer to his inter-turmoil, plus he is not very good at it.  He goes to his grandmother, played by the beautiful Adrienne Barbeau to seek counsel.

Adrienne Barbeau

Side Note:  Not only does Adrienne still look fabulous but she sang and then did some trapeze work with a very nice looking partner while still singing.

Granny tells Pippin to live life to the fullest and to find his purpose in life.

In the second act, Pippin decides to take control of the country away from his father by killing him and  becoming King.  After the deed is done and Pippin is King, he learns very quickly that for every decision he makes it has ripple effects and sometimes not always in a good way.  He keeps trying to fix things and only makes it worse and finally revokes all the laws he has made. Finally he is so distraught, he goes to his father, the dead King, and asks for his knife back. The King comes back to life and is once again in charge of the kingdom.  Pippin then sets out on his quest to find the meaning and purpose for his life.

While on his journey is he set-upon, beaten and injured.  A young widow, Catherine, finds Pippin laying by the road and takes him in to nurse him back to health.  Catherine lives on a farm with her young son Theo. When he is feeling better Pippin tries to help around the farm by feeding the pigs and the chickens.  This part of the play was really funny because of the antics of the actors playing the pigs and the chickens.  

But alas, Pippin is still not satisfied with life and leaves Catherine and Theo.  He is not sure he is meant to have an ordinary life.

Back on the course to continue his journey, he comes across the MC who tells Pippin to jump into a roaring fire box since he always wanted to do something extraordinary.  Pippin, on a trapeze bar, swings over the fire box and prepares the jump.  Then he sees Catherine and Theo and jumps down and runs to them.

The MC cancels the Grand Finale and the players begin to take down the circus curtains and pack up the props and leave Pippin, Catherine, and Theo alone on the stage.

The storyline of this play is a little strange.  However it was beautifully staged. The stage setting take place inside a circus tent.  All the "actors" were not just singers or dancers, but also tumblers, jugglers, trapeze artists, and gymnasts.  It was like a mini Cirque du Soleil show.  All the performers were amazing!  The original Broadway choreography was devised by Bob Fosse and you can still see some of his signature moves in this play.

The King and Step-Queen