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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Cain Park’s ‘Pippin’
offers the simple joys, little magic<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">News-Herald,
Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times
Courier<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">This
review appeared in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">News-Herald
</I>8/07/09</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p><FONT face=Calibri> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">In the song that
opens <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Pippin</I>, 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.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is indeed.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">This delightful
musical comedy tells the tale of a young man trying to find his place in the
world.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Much of the magic is
built into this play.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">It emanates from the
truly memorable <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">songs</SPAN> by
composer and lyricist <SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Stephen Schwartz,
the endearing characters developed by </SPAN>dramatist and screenwriter Roger O.
Hirson<SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, and an indelible sensuousness
courtesy of the Broadway production’s director and choreographer, Bob
Fosse.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">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.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">All the ingredients
are there for a stellar production.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>The stage is filled with exceptionally talented young performers.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The small orchestra, directed by Nancy
Maier, generates a rich sound to complement Schwartz’s tunes.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Choreographer <SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Martín Céspedes</SPAN> channels Fosse (as if
he has a choice) but infuses his own sexy, kinetic innovations into the
mix.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Unfortunately, this
production fails to establish and implement a cohesive vision.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Jessica Cope, who plays this key role at Cain Park and has a phenomenal
singing voice, does not.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">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.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">So, too, does some of
the acting.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Bussert has her cast
playing to the cheap seats, so that emotions register throughout the
theater.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, there are no
cheap seats in the intimate Alma Theater.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">This
makes it difficult for him to register as real and it flattens comic and
dramatic moments.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They are
delightful.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In fact, Smith takes a
fun but frivolous number, “Spread a Little Sunshine,” and turns it into a
sweltering show-stopper.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Maryann
Nagel, who was wonderful as the </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">life-loving
septuagenarian in last year’s <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Harold and
Maude</I> at Cain Park is all wrong as Pippin’s grandmother.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>There is no charm in watching someone
obviously too young, playing someone old, acting young.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>None
whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Also wrong is
adapting the narrator’s musical numbers to accommodate Cope’s high belt
voice.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This changes the dynamic of each
song.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Pippin</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> is a pleasurable
play and this Cain Park production delivers many of its simple joys.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It just does not quite generate the
magic that it promises, putting that elusive corner of the sky just out of
reach.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Pippin</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-style: italic">
continues through August 23</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> at Cain Park’s Alma
Theater, <SPAN class=text1><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">14591
Superior Road at Lee</SPAN></SPAN>, Cleveland Hts. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For tickets, which range from $15 to $24,
call 216-371-3000 or visit <A href=""><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext">www.cainpark.com</SPAN></A><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">.<o:p></o:p></I></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>