Having recently taken several walks through central London, it has been desperately sad to see Shaftesbury Avenue, St Martin’s Lane and the Southbank as all virtual ghost towns... with theatres shuttered up and many of the local supporting hospitality venues closed: a stark contrast to the usual buzzy, vibrant areas that support the largest concentration of theatres on the planet (a fact acknowledged even by Broadway!) And so as part of the new ‘abnormal’ it was a sheer delight to be able to attend live theatre once again last night. A West End director and performers? Yes! But transposed to a far smaller venue in the form of a pub garden-turned-theatre in south-of-the-river’s Vauxhall - an area with a centuries-old history of drag artists and alternative cabaret.
I suspect much has been done to enable this production to happen. Adherence to the ever-changing government guidelines (The Eagle having done an amazing job to transform their garden into an enchanting covid-safe space); and Stephen Schwartz (the composer and lyricist of not just his 1970’s musicals ‘Pippin’ and the legendary ‘Godspell’ but - much more recently, the enduring and hugely popular ‘Wicked’) being approached to give permission for a scaled-down cast of six (he said yes - unsurprisingly - how could he not support any live venture in these restricted, uncertain times).
In the hippy tradition of both ‘Godspell’ as well as ‘Hair’ - a massive 60’s success on Broadway that would have gone some way to influence the young Schwartz’s writing - ‘Pippin’ is performed by a young ensemble, suitably attired in Flower Power gear. The opening number feels like a West End blockbuster, the traverse staging making the utmost of the performance space available; the energetic, six performers commanding the space perfectly with high energy and well-crafted choreography.
With acclaimed director Steven Dexter’s take on the show being ‘a group of hippy travellers telling Pippin’s story’, we follow the entertaining narrative - Pippin being the son of a war-obsessed, people-exploiting king - and his rejection of this doctrine (with strong echoes of the movement against the raging Vietnam War of the time).Through a slickly paced extravaganza of multi-rolling, song, dance and narration we are taken on Pippin’s journey to find meaning and hope in an uneasy world. As he eventually finds and initially rejects love, we reach a brutal and unexpected finale. On the surface this is a fun, entertaining show, yet with more sinister depths that give it just that bit of edge.
The songs are powerful and catchy - Schwartz’s first outing as a composer - and much of it written while he attended college in 1967 ( a download of the soundtrack for its own sake is recommended.) There are some memorable moments such as a brutal battle being conducted to the soundtrack of a 1920s tea dance; a captivating coronation scene where we see Pippin take the crown (comically a tamborine) and an unexpected veer to the more macabre, in the disturbingly compelling finale. The six actors are unfailing in their commitment to the show - with notable performances from Ryan Anderson as the naive, unfulfilled Pippin; Joanne Clifton as the savagely funny grandmother and in turn outrageous mother; and Tsemaye Bob Egbe as the principal mistress of ceremonies, challenging and seducing her audience with presence and panache.
Running at just over 80 minutes there was perhaps an unnecessary interval half way through, with the pace on the sluggish side in the second half. Notwithstanding this was a memorably enjoyable show and a brief escape from the harsh realities of 2020 - ironically in its message, showing us to appreciate simplicity over grand ambition. All fingers crossed the show is allowed to run its full course.
Reviewer - Georgina Elliott
on - 17/9/20
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