By Traci Newell
 Nancy Fitzgerald/special to the Town Crier Foothill Music Theatre’s production of “Pippin’ closes Sunday. |
Pippin, the son of Charlemagne and heir to the Holy Roman Empire, isn’t the typical celebutante we see plastered on the cover of Us Weekly.
No, Pippin is on a mission - to find his place in life - and along the way takes the audience on a journey as he struggles to divine his purpose.
Foothill Music Theatre’s production of “Pippin,” running through Sunday at the college’s Playhouse Theatre, is a musical comedy chronicling Pippin’s (Nathan Baynard) efforts to fill some mighty big shoes. The show, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson, opened on Broadway in 1972, won five Tony Awards and ran for more than five years.
The cast of “Pippin” - directed by Jay Manley - is a band of actors played by a band of actors, ably led by the charismatic Leading Player (Rudy Guerrero). The actors assume specific roles in the play within a play, reenacting “Pippin, His Life and Times.”
Pippin’s colorful father Charles (Doug Baird) adds humor to the show, and his menacing stepmother (Carrie Madsen) is a convincing conniver who will do anything to ensure that her own son Lewis (Andrew Ceglio) inherits the crown.
Baynard’s performance is everything it should be as Pippin; he beautifully portrays the young man’s whiny, adolescent, grass-is-always-greener behavior. Guerrero, too, shines as Leading Player. The perfect match of actor and part, he seems born to star in this role. His character is enticing but enigmatic enough not to give away what awaits Pippin in his “Grand Finale.”
The production employs a movie screen as a backdrop - a clever way to change scenes and sets. I question whether is it necessary to illuminate an eagle flying through the sky every time Pippin sings, “Eagles belong where they can fly,” or whether the sun should be projected any time someone sings about the sun. The audience isn’t dumb; you don’t always have to spell things out for them. If you don’t have an elaborate set and you want to highlight the scene changes, it could be better done with creative lighting.
The screen did come in handy, however, during a war scene in which Pippin and his brother fight the Visogoths. Statistics about fatalities from wars fought by the Visogoths versus the conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq were illuminated. While the battle takes place on stage, the Lead Player and two ensemble members tap dance to upbeat music.
At the end of the show, Pippin realizes that his life may not be extraordinary, but in settling for less, he might be achieving more. This muted “happy ending” is what I found most poignant and enjoyable about the musical.
“Pippin” runs 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Foothill Playhouse on the campus of Foothill College, 12345 S. El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. For tickets ($10-$24) and more information, call 949-7360 or visit www.foothillmusicals.com.
