“This Tony award-winning musical remains relevant,” Teri Hansen said recently.
Hansen heads up the new musical theater major at Fort Lewis College, and she’s directing the upcoming production of “Pippin.” The musical opened on Broadway in 1972, 53 years ago. A new interpretation opens Friday and runs for five more performances in FLC’s Theatre Building.
The question remains: Is “Pippin” still relevant?
“The ‘ordinary’ premise of ‘Pippin,’ is relatable and timeless,” Hansen said. “Not only does our contemporary culture suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out), but we long to be ‘exceptional,’ followed by millions on Instagram. We tune in to the grandiose, and it must deliver immediately and consistently to hold our attention.”
If you go
WHAT: “Pippin,” music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Roger O. Hirson, directed and choreographed by Teri Hansen, Fort Lewis College Department of Performing Arts.
WHERE: MainStage Theatre, FLC Drama Building, 1000 Rim Drive.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. April 11-12, 17-19; 2 p.m. April 13.
TICKETS: Adults $28; FLC faculty/staff $15; non-FLC students $15; FLC students free. Available at www.durangoconcerts.com.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.fortlewis.edu/theatre or call 247-7657.
The answer also lies in the fact that “Pippin” is a quest story, part of the most ancient stream of tales. The theme dates back to the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” 4,000 years ago. And if you know “The Wizard of Oz” and its many spinoffs like the blockbuster film “Wicked,” you know how enduring youthful quests are as a story structure.
American composer Stephen Schwartz nicely links “Wicked” to “Pippin.” He wrote both.
“Pippin” opened on Broadway when Schwartz was only 24. A year earlier, he wrote the music and lyrics for “Godspell,” which won several Tony awards and two Grammys. His interest in “Pippin,” however, began in college at Carnegie Mellon University.
Over a seven-year period, Schwartz tinkered with his idea. Initially, he said he was inspired to create a musical version of “The Lion in Winter,” James Goldman’s play about King Henry II. It was a hot property in the 1960s, catapulting to further fame in the 1968 film starring Peter O’Toole. But Schwartz shifted gears and loosely based his musical on the history and legends surrounding the Carolingian Dynasty of Charlemagne and his third son, Pepin. The new musical would retain the color and fantasy of a medieval court. And Pippin, the young hero, would return from university to figure out his purpose in life – beyond the obvious business of inheriting a kingdom.
In 1969, during a long period of creative gestation, Schwartz met his collaborator, Roger Hirson, an established television writer with a quick sense of humor. Apparently, the two men bonded over shared wit. That may account for the abundance of dark humor that runs through “Pippin.” Hirson polished the story and introduced the working structure of a tale within a tale.
“We have an actual circus on our Main Stage. We’ve undergone a lot of renovations in the theater building. It was constructed in 1957, so we’re having a ‘soft opening’ for ‘Pippin.’” Teri Hansen, director
Hansen said she recently spoke with Schwartz, now 77. He’s had a complicated career composing for stage and film. He’s considered “Broadway royalty,” Hansen said, “and I was immediately impressed with his humility and genius. On the heels of the global success of his acclaimed film and stage musical, ‘Wicked,’ ‘Pippin’ remains a lynchpin of his personal and professional identity.”
“Pippin” begins as a group of traveling performers tell the story. The Leading Player (FLC’s Katelyn Bowie) invites the audience to enter a world of magic. When the hero, Pippin (Warren Rockett) enters, he sings one of the most moving ballads in the show: “Corner of the Sky.” The Leading Player then unspools the tale that includes the Emperor Charlemagne (Calvin Marshall), and proceeds through a series of episodic adventures. Of course, things go awry, and eventually Pippin comes to terms with his life.
An on-stage band will accompany the performers led by FLC music faculty member Holly Quist.
The original “Pippin” followed a two-act format and generally ran about three hours. The FLC production will run a tight two hours with no intermission.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
