[NEohioPAL] Review of "Pippin" at Cain Park

[Bob Abelman]

Cain Park's 'Pippin' offers the simple joys, little magic

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 8/07/09

 

In the song that opens Pippin, now playing at Cain Park's Alma Theater in Cleveland Heights, the audience is invited by the ensemble to "join us" because there is "magic to do."  There is indeed.

 

This delightful musical comedy tells the tale of a young man trying to find his place in the world.  That he happens to be the son of Charlemagne, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, and the time happens to be 780 A.D., is merely window dressing.  

 

Much of the magic is built into this play.

 

It emanates from the truly memorable songs by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the endearing characters developed by dramatist and screenwriter Roger O. Hirson, and an indelible sensuousness courtesy of the Broadway production's director and choreographer, Bob Fosse.  

 

The rest of the magic must be mustered by the performance, and this production, under the direction of Victoria Bussert, only partially succeeds in this regard.

 

All the ingredients are there for a stellar production.  The stage is filled with exceptionally talented young performers.  The small orchestra, directed by Nancy Maier, generates a rich sound to complement Schwartz's tunes.  Choreographer Martín Céspedes channels Fosse (as if he has a choice) but infuses his own sexy, kinetic innovations into the mix.  

 

Unfortunately, this production fails to establish and implement a cohesive vision.  It is unclear what kind of world audience members are stepping into, which keeps them at a distance and unable to fully invest in these characters and what they are trying to achieve.  

 

The opening "Magic to Do" number is intended to create an immediate, overriding sense of seductiveness, which then permeates every scene and leads to the show's climactic Finale.  Actor Ben Vereen, who played the show's narrator/Lead Player in the Broadway production and is featured in this number, had the physicality and personality to serve as the conduit for all this seduction.  Jessica Cope, who plays this key role at Cain Park and has a phenomenal singing voice, does not.  

 

This missing ingredient not only fails to entice the audience, it has members of the ensemble operating without a common objective, leaves musical numbers like "Glory," which depicts the horrors of war, without a thematic rudder, and lessens the power of the show's climax.

 

So, too, does some of the acting.  Bussert has her cast playing to the cheap seats, so that emotions register throughout the theater.  However, there are no cheap seats in the intimate Alma Theater.  

 

The boyish Corey Mach, as Pippin, is a gifted performer who lights up the stage. He nails the show's best song, "Corner of the Sky," but is particularly guilty of reading lines and reacting too broadly for this arena.  This makes it difficult for him to register as real and it flattens comic and dramatic moments.    

 

Devon Yates as the simple woman Pippin falls in love with, Chris McCarrell as Pippin's egomaniacal half-brother, and Hilary McEntee Smith as Lewis' sultry mother, manage to avoid this affliction.  They are delightful.  In fact, Smith takes a fun but frivolous number, "Spread a Little Sunshine," and turns it into a sweltering show-stopper.

 

Maryann Nagel, who was wonderful as the life-loving septuagenarian in last year's Harold and Maude at Cain Park is all wrong as Pippin's grandmother.  There is no charm in watching someone obviously too young, playing someone old, acting young.   None whatsoever.

 

Also wrong is adapting the narrator's musical numbers to accommodate Cope's high belt voice.  By starting each song in a high octave, Cope is forced to drop to a lower key at moments when the songs reach her range but are intended to soar upward.  This changes the dynamic of each song.  

 

Pippin is a pleasurable play and this Cain Park production delivers many of its simple joys.  It just does not quite generate the magic that it promises, putting that elusive corner of the sky just out of reach.

 

Pippin continues through August 23 at Cain Park's Alma Theater, 14591 Superior Road at Lee, Cleveland Hts.  For tickets, which range from $15 to $24, call 216-371-3000 or visit www.cainpark.com.
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