Review: Pippin

Expect magic, intrigue and humour in this exceptional production of Pippin!

Musical theatre group The Pied Pipers return to the ADC stage with Pippin, in what is now the 74th year of the group’s involvement in the Cambridge theatre scene. The story follows the son of King Charlemagne, based on the historical figure Pippin the Short. Oliver Oxley skilfully plays the endearing lead, whose journey of self-discovery and eventual (spoiler!) decision to abandon the endless pursuit of shallow “fulfilment” in favour of of the ultimate fulfilment of love with Catherine (Catriona Clarke) and her adorable son Theo (George Fisher) is really touching.

We’re soon introduced to Pippin’s father, King Charlemagne (Scott Riley). While all the lead actors bring their own talent to their roles, Riley’s stands out, with his ability to balance a humorous, child-like personality with darker character traits. Over the course of Pippin we’re introduced to a range of great performances: Christine Poole as Pippin’s comically malevolent stepmother Fastrada, Alex Butcher as her knucklehead son Lewis and Mandy Jeffrey as Pippin’s high-spirited grandmother Berthe.

Image credits: Peter Buncombe

Notable musical moments include Berthe’s No Time at All, which actually got the audience singing, including myself (a rare occurence), and War Is a Science which utilised lighting and nightmarish choreography to depict the horrors of war—the sequence makes all the more sense considering the musical’s original purpose as a commentary on the Vietnam War and the abuse of authority.

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A central aspect to Pippin is the carnivalesque troupe of Players, who guide Pippin through his life, and attempt to lure the audience towards the same fate. Helen Petrovna as the Leading Player demonstrates her ability as a multi-talented performer whose acting, singing and dancing (and rollerskating) are captivating throughout the musical. The Leading Player and her troupe of players form an eery yet mesmerising ensemble, not only through their choreography but also with their truly impressive vocals.

Image credits: Peter Buncombe

The set design is fairly basic, using primarily lighting by lighting designer James Ireland  to set the scene and the mood. I expect that a basic set deign was a deliberate choice, allowing enough space for the large cast and some very complex choreography (the sequence for ‘Extraordinary’ in particular comes to mind).

The costume design by Carol Bye creates a great sense of cohesion within the cast of characters by using mainly oranges, browns and blues and integrating a sun motif into the garments (a nice nod to the finale) evoking 70s medieval revival fashion. A highlight was Fastrada’s seamless (not literally) mid-song costume change, which remains a stand-out moment in the entire show.

Image credits: Peter Buncombe

David Mallabone as choreographer and Emily Starr as director have put together a show that is tight, well rehearsed and meticulously attentive to detail. And, crucially, you can tell that the cast are having fun.

Having had no knowledge about the musical before this performance, I didn’t have any expectations, other than what the programme could tell me sitting in the audience in the brief period before the lights went out and the show started. But now, having seen Pippin, I’m very much glad I didn’t have any prior expectations, because I genuinely can’t imagine a better performance of the show. It’s rare that I see a play or musical that is so well-directed and the cast so skilled that I struggle to find any flaws, or even minor areas of weakness, in it—and yet this production of Pippin is absolutely one of these shows.

Answer the call of the Players and join them for a night of truly masterful theatre in the fantastical world of The Pied Pipers’ Pippin!

5/5

Pippin is showing at the ADC from Tue 29th April – Sat 3rd May. Get your tickets here!

Featured image credit: Peter Buncombe @peterbuncombephotography