Pippin

On Saturday, May 17, we saw the East West Players (EWP) production of the musical Pippin.  It currently has performances that run through June 22 (originally June 8 but it was extended) at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo near Downtown L.A.  Our cousin, Marc, is the musical director.  Pippin, with book by Roger O. Hirson and original musical and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, was originally staged on Broadway in the 1970's.  More recently, Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the musical Wicked.  For this EWP production of Pippin, Director Tim Dang, Marc, and the choreographers and designers sought to give it a more contemporary, edgy, and urban approach.  Pippin is a fictional account of the eldest son of Charlemagne.  It’s more of a fantasy than a history and it contains “play within a play” and fourth wall-blurring elements.

The contemporary approach is evident right from the beginning.  The set looks like a dark alley with connected and elevated platforms above and a backdrop on which images are projected establish the scenes.  The “orchestra” consists of Marc as conductor and on keyboards, DJ LinoType as DJ, and Vince Reyes on Guitar.  The DJ is clearly visible on an elevated platform to the left of the stage (facing it).  Marc is behind and further to the left of the DJ.  I couldn’t see him for most of the performance, though my wife said she could see his hands conducting during some of the solo numbers.  Before the show starts a voice welcomes the audience and requests that we turn off all cell phones.  We thought this voice may be Marc’s.

The show starts with a welcoming and well choreographed number.  We meet the “Leading Player”, a kind of character-narrator similar to Che in Evita and the emcee in Cabaret.  However, unlike them, the Leading Player interacts with the characters of the story and he seems to have his own agenda.  The remaining players consist of seven named characters and seven unnamed members of the dance crew.  Most are introduced in the longer Act I.  The action progresses steadily with the character Pippin as the main focus.  Despite his top billing, the Leading Player is not the main player.  Pippin fills that role.

The costumes vary from contemporary dress to cultural to original.  Most of the female characters’ costumes consist of colorful wigs and outfits that complement their ample bosoms.  Some of the male characters’ costumes showcase their enviable physiques above the waist so there’s something for everyone.

The production makes use of technology with its ever-changing projected backdrops.  The program and articles about the musical made reference to Anime, but they don’t actually show many cartoons and only a few of the images looked to me like Anime characters.  They also use other types of modern technology that I won’t divulge here.  The projections effectively establish the scene.  They remove the need for elaborate props and set changes and there are very few of these.

The choreography is very impressive and is obviously updated from the 70’s.  It makes use of many styles including Hip Hop and martial arts.  It also gets very sensual for some numbers.

The story itself alternates between serious and humorous, sometimes confusing the observer as to its intent.  Most musicals I’ve seen were either very serious with a few humorous segments (e.g. West Side Story with the humorous part being the song “Gee, Officer Krupke” or Les Misérables with Thenardier providing the humor) or not so serious (e.g. Anything Goes, Curtains).  Pippin has some very humorous lines spoken by characters that take themselves overly seriously.  It also seems like it’s trying to convey a serious moral or message while cracking jokes all along the way.  The overall effect is a somewhat tepid and uneven mix that failed to draw me in at times.  The fourth wall violations add to the confusion, though some are very clever.  It’s like the story itself doesn’t know what it wants to be.  Perhaps this is intentional.  Another interesting aspect is that Pippen consists of two acts and Act I is nearly twice as long as Act II.  This imbalance caused the final resolution to seem less-than-fulfilling to me.  This, again, may be intentional.

Whatever the production’s faults, they don’t belong to the performers.  They act and sing well, conveying their characters thoughts and emotions and they can get quite complex, especially for Pippin.  The actors travel seamlessly between the story’s humor and seriousness and the minor characters make the most of their lines to establish their presence.  I felt convinced along with Pippin by the others’ manipulation, happy in his awkward excitement, and I shared his disappointment.

By far the most engaging the most engaging character is the female one played by male actor, Gedde Watanabe of 16 Candles fame.  Don’t worry, his costume is traditional and doesn’t showcase his “bust” like the other female characters’ costumes.  But his hilarious manner, lines, and singing captivate the audience.  The laughs just keep coming one after another.

What really defines the production is the music arranged by Marc.  It is much more that the contemporary Hip Hop mentioned in the reviews and the 1970’s Rock of the original score.  It also includes electronic, dance club, carnival-type, atmospheric, and industrial-sounding music.  This list is far from comprehensive.  The music doesn’t just fit or complement the scenes but it defines them and sets their tone.  There are times when the music seems to contrast with the action on stage but it still works.  It also fits well with the singing.  The songs are from the original first performed in the 70’s but, with Marc’s arranging, they don’t sound like 70’s relics.  He hasn’t just updated them but redefined them as unique works of art that would stand on their own in any era.  I was impressed with the vast variety of sounds in the music.  Marc conceded to me afterward that much of it was pre-recorded.  He was been working on it since last November and he had to refine much of it during rehearsals to fit the singing, choreography, and the scenes.  He described to me how this was a lot of work but still worth it in the end.  I could hear that the work definitely wasn’t wasted.  The music had its own presence but it never clashed with the action or the mood.  It never seemed too contemporary or too dated and its variety kept all the scenes fresh.  The music reflected Pippin’s journey from one new adventure to another.  I could almost view the production most appropriately as an extended music video of Marc’s arrangements.  To quote it, this could be the show’s “corner of the sky.”

Check it out.  Tickets and more info are available at www.eastwestplayers.org.