Ozaukee Living local
  • Home
  • Stories
  • Events
  • About Oz
  • #EditorOfOzReviews

Once upon a time...

​You can get OLL stories delivered weekly if you subscribe here.

​Photo by Nicole Sova

'Pippin' at Skylight Music Theatre

9/22/2018

0 Comments

 

By Mary Boyle

The Tony award-winning musical, Pippin, is about the son of Charlemagne, the 8th Century King of the Franks and Lombards, and the very first Holy Roman Emperor at the beginning of the 9th Century.  Though the story is based in history and contains a similar morality message common to the time period, the musical is anything but what might be considered classical theatre; and yet, the musical, itself, has a powerful history of its own.  In Broadway history, Pippin is widely considered a game-changer— a revolutionary work that set the tone for every other Broadway production to follow.  There is no better place for such a musical history legend to be performed than with Skylight Musical Theatre, who opens their season with Pippin this September  21st through October 27th at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee.

Pippin (Lucus Pastrana) has returned home from school to his father, Charlemagne (Todd Denning), and is hoping to find fulfillment and meaning in his life.  Led by a magician known as the Leading Player (Krystal Drake), Pippin explores the glory of war, the passion of the flesh, the power of ruling, and even dabbles in the arts and religion, but everything leaves him feeling empty.  The rest of his family can't seem to help him: his eccentric Grandmother, Berthe (Elaine Pasons Herro), means well, but his stepmother, Fastrada (Kathryn Hausman), and her "strong and stupid son, Lewis (Alex Campea), would rather get rid of Pippin to clear their own path to power.  In his despair, Pippin is found by Catherine (Natalie Ford), a widow with one son, Theo (Ayana Strutz), who hopes to make a husband out of Pippin.  Though the bonds begin to grow between them, Pippin still believes that there must be something more extraordinary in his life that he has yet to find that will fulfill him.

Directed by Skylight's Artistic Director, Ray Jivoff, who is completing his final year after 20 years on the Skylight staff in various roles, and with Music Direction by David Bonofiglio, Pippin is best for mature audiences who don't mind a lot of sexual innuendo and an occasional, well-placed swear word.  Skylight loves to work with Milwaukee artists, and this production brought on two who made a notable Skylight debut: Todd Denning, who played Charlemagne, is a Milwaukee favorite, for good reason, but this was his first turn on the Skylight stage, while UW Milwaukee graduate, Krystal Drake, makes a spectacular Skylight debut as a sleek, powerful Leading Player.  Alex Campea as Lewis, Natalie Ford as Catherine, and Kathryn Hausman as Fastrada return to the Skylight stage as seasoned veterans, as well as Lucas Pastrana, who shone as Pippin.  Pay particular attention to Elaine Parsons Herro who plays Berthe.  Herro was a regular on the Skylight stage in the 1980's, and makes a triumphant return in this production.  

The music and lyrics of Pippin were written by Stephen Schwartz, who, at the young age of 26, had three hits running on Broadway: Godspell, Pippin, and The Magic Show.  What made Pippin stand out among them, and influence every show thereafter, was the choreography by the legendary Bob Fosse, which created a dark, sophisticated aura to what would otherwise have been a rather naive production.  Schwartz is better known today for the music and lyrics for Wicked, while Fosse is synonymous with the musical Chicago.  Pippen likely fell from the limelight largely because the music,  in particular, feels very dated to the year it made its debut: 1972.  The musical made a Broadway revival in 2013 because the political and religious commentary in it applied so well to the current culture, and that is still true.  Moreover, the underlying message of Pippin is timeless:  that ordinary life is extraordinary when one has love.

Pippin runs through October 7th at the Cabot Theatre, located within the Broadway Theatre Center, at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee.  Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (414) 291-7800, Monday – Saturday, noon - 6 p.m. Box Office hours are noon - 6 p.m., and the Box Office window is also open two hours prior to each performance. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org.    

About Skylight Music Theatre
Skylight Music Theatre’s mission since 1959: To bring the full spectrum of music theatre works to a wide and diverse audience in celebration of the musical and theatrical arts and their reflection of the human condition. Skylight presents productions “Skylight Style” – bringing fresh approaches or interesting twists to music theatre works, creating meaningful connections, not only between the characters on stage but with the audience as well. The beautiful, intimate Cabot Theatre allows audiences to feel close to the powerful emotions on stage.


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Ballet
    Beer Garden
    Belgium
    Camps For Kids
    Cedarburg
    Citizen Action
    Classes
    Classes For Kids
    Coffee
    Community Events
    Concert
    Concert Series
    Dance
    Dinner
    Fall Fun
    Family Fun
    Farmers Market
    Farms
    Festival
    Fireworks
    Fish Fry
    Fundraiser
    Grafton
    Health
    History
    Holidays
    Lake Michigan
    Live Music
    Local Food
    Mequon
    Milwaukee
    Milwaukee River
    Newburg
    Night Life
    Open Mic
    Orchestra
    Outdoors
    OzEats
    Pancake Breakfast
    Parade
    People In Our Neighborhood
    Port Washington
    Reading
    Recipes
    Restaurant
    Run/Walk
    Saukville
    Sheboygan
    Shop Local
    Storytime
    Survey
    Theatre
    Thiensville
    Waukesha
    Workshop

    RSS Feed

Published By:

Picture

Ozaukee Living Local
A Community Supported Publication

OLL is always looking for Contributing Writers and Photography, which is an excellent way to highlight what your business or organization is doing in Oz.  Not a writer but have a Story Idea or Event Submission?  Just contact us at:
 mary@ozaukeelivinglocal.com  

Contact Us

mary@ozaukeelivinglocal.com

Join our mailing list today!  One email newsletter a week, every Friday, with everything you need to know about what's happening in Oz.  
Subscribe Now
  • Home
  • Stories
  • Events
  • About Oz
  • #EditorOfOzReviews