They’ve got “magic to do, just for you” as Pippin opens at Theatre Three

By Lisa Napell Dicksteen

Originally appeared in Times Beacon Record Newspapers

Theatre Three closes its 36^th season with the five-Tony Award winning musical comedy Pippin, a magical realistic look at the search for the meaning of life. While set in the midieval France of Charlemagne (absolute ruler of the Holy Roman Empire), Pippin, is really about now, touching as it does on the human themes of finding what matters in life, step-family dynamics, choosing a reliable role model, and growing up. Lest you worry that it’s too existential or deep to be any fun, be reminded that the original choreography was by Bob Fosse, and the dialogue by Roger Hirson, and the lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (who wrote lyrics for Godspell, Disney’s Pocahontas, DreamWorks’ Prince of Egypt, Wicked, and more) are clever, bawdy, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny.

According to Scott Miller, a noted theatre critic and author of “Working Magic with Pippin,” this play “may actually have even more resonance today than it did when it ran on Broadway in the 1970s.” He is referring to the fact that many of today’s young people “find themselves without a road map, without any discernable guidelines for growing up and making their way in the world.” The musical follows the story of Pippin, son of the great and powerful Charlemagne, as he comes home from university and seeks fulfillment of the “extraordinary” promise he sees in his own life. Miller sees in Pippin a reflection of the young American college graduate “with plenty of energy but no idea where to direct it. He wants complete fulfillment, the too-hyped “American Dream,” and has been told that he can have it all if he just works hard enough. When Pippin is confronted with the mundane realities of life and finds that he can’t have his ideal life, he is angry and bitter.” While many of us can relate, most of us don’t have the handsome and charming Danny Amy as our own personal guide, nor do we have access to the magic, music, and mystery Amy’s Leading Player offers Pippin along the way.

Jeffrey Sanzel, who plays Charlemagne and shares director responsibility with Jean Sorberra (who also did the choreography), also sees Pippin, as a story for our time, fully aware of the double-edged irony of reciting lines such as the when he refers to a successful military campaign as “another victory for me and God, “ or explains to his sons and soldiers that he and the Pope are dedicated to bringing the blessings of Christianity to the entire world, “even if we have to kill every non-believer to do it.” He is dressed in the purple robes of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but he is speaking the words of the fanatical religiously-motivated murder/suicide bombers and the attackers of abortion clinics in the world today. And he’s wonderful. We usually are only treated to Sanzel the performer once a year when he becomes Scrooge for Theatre Three’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. 2006 is thus a banner year, as it promises to allow us to see him tread the boards at least twice.

The title character is the multi-talented Morgan Howard Rumble. His Pippin is, by turns, adorably lost and vulnerable, youthfully brash and enthusiastic, realistically depressed and discouraged, and admirably resilient in the face of repeated disappointment. In addition to treating us to his spectacular vocals (he sings, either alone or with company, no fewer than 10 of the shows 17 numbers, and that’s not counting the ones where he participates as part of the company), Rumble regularly rewards his audience with sly smiles, knowing looks, and flashes of “you know how it is” camaraderie. I especially liked the transformation of his glances from “hey, this is cool!” to “get me out of here” during the gymnastic gyrations accompanying “Simple Joys.” You’ll have to see it to get any more information.

Opting to make the role originated by the inimitable Ben Vereen his own; Amy flits from one of Randall Parsons carefully constructed jet-black perches, to various ladders and pipes, to center stage, using his all-black costume to slip in and out of our awareness. But when the spot’s on him, he’s unmistakably the Leading Player. Amy has a powerful voice that gets more adventurous—and better as the evening takes him from the wonderful opening “Magic to Do,” to the resonant “Glory,” to the simultaneously sweet and cynical “Simple Joys,” to the heartening “The Right Track” and finally to the encouraging yet sinister “Finale.”

We find out Pippin’s half-brother Lewis’ name fairly early in the play, but many audience members had already located him during the opening number, distracted by the perfect abs under his open tunic. Michael Lamarca’s six-pack abs may have contributed to his landing the role of the strong soldier whose scheming mother, Fastrada, wants to move him ahead of his older brother Pippin in the line-up to be the next king, but his acting brings luster to the part. He is desperate for his father’s approval, as is Pippin, but his strengths are physical and Pippin’s innate intelligence more closely coincides with their father’s desires for his sons. Charlemagne remarks at one point that every time someone refers to Lewis as his son he gets “slightly nauseous,” and he looks pained throughout the play every time the reference is repeated. Yet Lamarca’s Lewis misunderestimates his mother’s plans, loves his family, and remains steadfastly cheerful and loyal throughout.

Sorbera’s homage to Fosse’s original choreography presents the talented Sari Feldman as the beautiful and devious Fastrada, to her best advantage. When she tells her king she’s overspent her royal allowance again because finances muddle her since she’s “just an ordinary housewife and mother,” turning to the audience and adding, “just like all you housewives and mothers out there,” you can hear the wheels turning—and so can the king. But he doesn’t mind, saying ruefully after she exits, “Sometimes I wonder if the fornicating I’m getting is worth the fornicating I’m getting.”

When Sanzel first announced that Theatre Three was planning to produce Pippin, I asked if he was having Carolyn Droscoski play Bertha. He said he did not know if she was planning to audition for the role, so I asked her. She was unfamiliar with the play. I replied that it didn’t matter, she had to promise to audition anyway as the part might have been written for her prodigious vocal talents. She did, and I was right. She’s perfect as Pippin’s bawdy grandmother and her performance of “No Time at All” (one of my favorite numbers) is everything I imagined it would be. You can tell that an audience is hooked when they agree to sing along with a song most of them don’t know (the words are painted on a backdrop and a spotlight serves as the bouncing ball to follow). Watch for the sly Shakespearian reference to that light that Droscoski slipped in during rehearsal, and which Sanzel ordered kept in the script—the audience appreciated the joke.

Janet Anne Wolter as Catherine, “a widow with a small boy and a large estate,” brings Pippin out of his depression for a while, and sings the show’s love song quite beautifully with him. But the old theatrical warning about not sharing the stage with small children or animals proves true as the young Ethan Navarro and his pet duck steal the spotlight. Watch for Navarro, this is a very poised young actor with a sweet and beautiful voice who I predict we will see a lot of over time.

No musical is complete without the company, and Pippin, is no exception. The Players, Jennifer Amy, Tamralynn Dorsa, TJ Garafolo, Jeremy Hudson, John Hudson, Rachel Sorbera, and Sarah Trachina are uniformly wonderful. John Hudson manages four “named” roles, Jennifer Amy two, and Jeremy Hudson and TJ Garafolo each play one small but memorable role in addition to their work in the ensemble.

And no musical is possible without the musicians. The multi-talented Ellen Michelmore’s titles include musical director, conductor, and keyboards. Her gifted pit orchestra includes Murray Houliff on drums and percussion, Don Larsen on percussion, Mark Verdino on bass, Mike Orioles and Brian Chabza on guitar, Jeff Lange on flute, piccolo, and clarinet, Mike Kendrot on oboe, English horn, and clarinet, Mike Chiusano on trumpet, and Rex Enderlin on trombone.

I have a particular affection for this play, having been one of The Players in a school production in the eighth grade, and having seen it on Broadway as one of a legion of young Fosse-fanatics with dreams of becoming a dancer. The Theater Three production thus had to compete with the idealization of distant memory; they are up to the task. Go see this show, and bring your friends, you’ll be glad you did.

Pippin will be at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson through June 24. For tickets, which are $18 to $28, call the box office (928-9100) or go to www.theatrethree.com.