Pippin in Concert: 50th Anniversary, Theatre Royal Drury Lane Review
Written by Annie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Staged concerts seem to be hot on the lips of many in the theatre world, for many reasons, not always with positives. Despite being a wonderful way to see a wider variety of shows which perhaps couldn’t facilitate a full run for whatever reasons, staged concerts bring about a whole new batch of problems which some sadly struggle with to their detriment.
Last night was the opening night of a two night run of Schwartz’s Pippin, in celebration of its 50th anniversary since its West End debut. Having been the earliest work of Stephen Schwartz during his student years, it marks the start of his magnificent legacy in the musical theatre world, and it felt like a magical way to celebrate his own personal, and the show’s, success.
Set in a magical land that teeters on the edge of reality, Pippin follows the journey of our title character’s struggle to find a purpose in life. It is a wonderful blend of a fairytale fantasy and a dark comedy, and you really see Schwartz’s signature style beginning to form. Despite being a loyal Schwartz fan, and loving the music in Pippin, I really didn’t know all too much about the storyline - and what a way to be properly introduced to the show! Last night was pure magic in Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Although Pippin is Schwartz’s earliest work, the music is just as powerful and genius as his more well known shows - highlighting his natural ability from a young age to write hit songs. From the opening number the cast transports you right into the world of Pippin. And despite being a staged production - the magic was just as present without the need for props or staging, proving just how magical the music and lyrics really are.
It almost feels impossibly easy to write about the cast of the concert, and I don’t think I’ve seen a staged concert with such a strong cast as that on the stage last night. Jac Yarrow leads as Pippin with such presence, there is no doubt he is a natural leading male. Zizi Strallen also dazzles as Fastrada - her dance abilities are just out of this world.
Alex Newell commanded the stage as the Leading Player - their voice is just sensational. The presence, the power, the options - just brought so much new life into the role and had the entire audience’s jaws on the floor. I’ve never heard applause like it!
As anyone who has listened to the soundtrack will know, the opening number breaks the fourth wall with the audience and invites us into the world of Pippin from the very start. This theme was continued throughout which worked so well with the concert production choices. The most memorable moment was Patricia Hodge’s singalong version of ‘No Time At All’ - it was hard to not sing and have a huge grin on your face.
The original production of Pippin was choreographed by none other than Bob Fosse, and huge applause must go to Jo Goodwin who has taken iconic moves from Fosse and blended them into a more contemporary style to reinvent and update the choreography whilst still honouring the success of the past productions. The movement beautifully assisted the music and offered real moments of beauty for each individual performer. The ensemble was outstanding, moving with such talent, it was a joy to watch.
Accompanied by a 50 strong choir of third year ArtsEd students, and the ever-brilliant LMTO orchestra, there is limited room on the stage, yet the choreography and music is not hindered by this and cleverly uses the space left.
As I mentioned at the very start of my review, some one-off concerts are often met with some critique, which unfortunately has been down to sound issues, meaning a lot of the libretto is missed. However, with huge thanks to Adam Fisher - the sound was perfect and enabled the audience to fully revel in the magical lyrics and sumptuous score. It was a total joy to have the sound so perfect, as it is such a shame when there are sounding issues which means a lot is at risk of being missed.
The whole show was a tremendous success, and I don’t think it couldn’t have been cast more perfectly. Dare I say the need, and want, for a full scale Pippin revival is even stronger than it was before? Something tells me this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this show anytime soon…
