Center Stage Theatre Leaps Into the Musical Magic & Illusive World of PIPPIN!

With the portents of possibilities that the Spring season often ushers in for us, it is entirely fitting that Midland’s Center Stage Theatre is busily putting the finishing touches on the dazzling and innovative 1972 musical PIPPIN, which is set for a series of performances at Midland Center’s Little Theatre from April 24-26^th & May 1-3^rd.

With an unforgettable score by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), and a propulsive book by Roger O. Hirson, this high-energy musical focuses upon the tale of a young prince named PIPPIN, determined to find a life that feels bigger than ordinary as he searches for meaning and fulfillment through the ravages and passions of war, love, and politics.

Guided all along the way by a mysterious troupe of performers and known for songs like "Corner of the Sky" and "Magic to Do," Pippin’s breaking of the ‘fourth wall’ between actors and audience, in essence making them part of the fictional work - adds to the sizzle of this musical, which was given even more sparkle by the legendary Bob Fosse, who famously directed and choreographed the original production, but also contributed to the script, winning multiple Tony Awards for its original Broadway production - a distinction that is hard to live up to and one that opens both unique opportunities and equally daunting challenges for Center Stage Director Joshua Abram Lloyd.

“ I think PIPPIN  is truly an underrated show, which is the reason I wanted to direct it,” he enthusiastically states. “It’s such an exciting show and its underrated because a lot of people don’t produce it.  The original production took place back in the 1970s and the fact Bob Fosse was at the helm already made it very special to me, because when I think of a classic Broadway show with glitz and glamour I think of Fosse. 

“The last time PIPPIN was done was in a 2013 revival, which kind of resurrected it. But for me there are so many neat tricks and stunts and things that make it so much more exciting than most musicals, plus the story alone is very interesting, so that's what kind of drew me towards tackling this production.”

With powerful ecumenical themes ranging from the search for purpose and the meaning of an ‘extraordinary’ life amidst the contrasting battle between grand ambition and simple happiness, framed by the Biblical truth of the Book of Ecclesiastes of how vanity is man’s undoing, ‘the eye not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing’ - Pippin blends this historical setting with modern musical styles.

With so many elements in motion, what does Josh feel some of the pivotal challenges are for him as a Director in bringing this beautiful opus to fruition.

“The original production critics felt was a bit disjointed, but I think the Revival did an excellent job pulling the pieces back together and making it more of a linear story and easier to follow,” he reflects. 

“The basic story is about a young prince searching for purpose and meaning in life who has just come home from college. Because he is the son of a King he tries many different paths to find that fulfillment - he tries war, he tries his hand at power, he searches for romance, and he even searches for a revolution in terms of kind of going against his father, but each path ultimately falls short. What’s fun about this production is that its set in this context of a circus or traveling theatrical  troupe, so there are all these ensemble members kind of guiding the story.”

“This theatrical troupe is prompting Pippin throughout the  show, plus there’s another character called ‘The Leading Player’ who kind of serves as our narrator - telling Pippin he’s on the right track, or doing what he’s supposed to be doing, and how he will find fulfillment eventually. Things ensue at the end of the show that I won’t spoil by revealing, but the leading player guides Pippin towards his ultimate fulfillment.”

With a cast consisting of 20 members, the pivotal roles are portrayed by Jason Briggs as Leading Player, Jared Kaufman as Pippin, Justin Radlinski as King Charles, Brianne Donley-Jacobs as Catherine, Brady Warsaw as Lewis, Trena Winans as Berthe, Megan Krause as Fastrada, and Mia Krause as Theo, with an ensemble consisting of Olivia DeLano, Faith Dore, Gloria Heye, Danielle Katsoulos, Gina Kearly, Heather Koch, Elizabeth McLeod, Analia Medel, Sadie Spees, Kevin Thrasher, Kellen Williamson, and Alex Woody.

“Each character in this show, whether they’re a named character or an ensemble member, really brings something special to this production,” Josh states. “Because we’re set in this circus style setting, this theatrical troupe engages in a lot of dancing and tricks that take place, and this cast is phenomenal. Every member bring truly something special to the table, whether it’s with their dance moves or someone on stilts. We’ve got some jugglers in the cast and people with all kind of special talents, so for me that’s very exciting.”

“Jason Briggs is such a phenomenal and talented actor, and we have a newer face and a fantastic young actor with Brady Warsaw, who is originally from this area but ended up coming back home - he is simply a phenomenal dancer and plays the role of Pippen’s step-brother.  Brianne Donley-Jacobs has been on the Midland Center stage before, but it’s been quite some time and so she is making her return with this production. She’s done many shows over at Bay City Players, so having her grace the stage has been a real privilege; and then we have multiple ensemble members who also really stand out. It’s a joy to work with this entire cost and to have these new faces is such a positive experience at Midland Center.”

So what's the biggest challenge for Josh with this production?

“I would say the biggest challenge is how this show is deceptively large.  On the surface it’s just a traveling theatrical troupe telling a story framed the way a typical troupe would by putting on costumes and enacting different stories on stage, so we’re paying homage to that on the one hand. But then we also have these circus elements and this sense of grandeur while performing certain tricks and keeping the razzle dazzle of the circus alive, so that’s definitely been a fun challenge to keep all the wheels moving without falling off the cart, because the scenes are very short and it’s also very dance heavy, so there’s a lot of movement going on in this production.”

“I’m fortunate because it’s been a great collaboration working with my choreographers, Trena Winans and Megan Krause, because they’ve been doing a phenomenal job leading the actors and trusting them with bringing the cast up to speed with a lot of these tricky ballet moves.  Originally, we were supposed to be staging the musical 1776 but weren’t able to cast it appropriately, so the Center shifted gears and announce PIPPIN and I was really pleased that so many great people came out to audition.  I think they were excited to do a show that’s not usually performed and we saw so many new faces, which was the greatest thing to witness.”

Given the rare opportunity to tackle a musical of this caliber, is Josh bringing his own vision into this production as a Director and focusing on certain themes he’s trying to emphasize or elicit more than others, or is he sticking pretty straight to the book?

“Yeah, I’m definitely throwing some of my own interpretations into the story,” he reflects. “One of the biggest inspirations to me is how eerily close this narrative is to the lessons taught in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, which focuses on how people searching for fulfillment and trying all these different things out in life does not do it for them, and makes them feel as if they’re chasing the wind insofar as being able to deliver true satisfaction, which is a large theme in Pippin, so that is one of the things that I find interesting and am trying to highlight in this show.”

“It’s similar to the whole idea of seeing a mirage in the desert  and how from far away something looks very real, but the closer and closer get to it you realize it kind of disappears into an illusion, so I’m playing with that idea of a mirage in the desert and the relationship between Pippin, the Leading Player, his crown, the ensemble, and how they all mimic society by presenting pressures of things we supposedly have to do, or be, or say.  After all, Pippin is the son of a King so he’s got all these pressures surrounding him from society telling him what he should be, so I’ve been playing around with some of those ideas.”

Center Stage Theatre’s production of PIPPIN takes place in the Little Theatre at Midland Center for the Arts from Friday through Sunday, April 24-26^th & May 1-3^rd. Tickets start at only $22.50 plus processing fees and if you purchased tickets for ‘1776’, they remain valid for the corresponding performance date of Pippin. Tickets can be purchased online at MidlandCenter.org or by phoning the ticket office at 989.631.8250.