Magic To Do!

Welcome to the show Ladies and Gentleman! For this outing, we're going to leave the busy big tours in the city centre that I am normally used to, and go out to Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre, a converted Victorian Warehouse, not too far from the city centre. There, was where I caught their production of Stephen Schwartz's Pippin. Probably not unlike a lot of musical theatre nerds, this is a show that I'd heard of, but not had a chance to see, as it is not produced that often.

Running alongside Schwartz's other big hit, Godspell, at the time, Pippin had its Broadway premiere in 1972. It won 5 Tonys and ran for almost 5 years. It wasn't again revived until 2013, taking on a circus theme, for which it won Best Musical Revival among 3 other awards at the Tonys that year. Now this year, it makes its Manchester debut - I had heard a lot of good things about this production, so I knew I had to check it out.

Before this show, when someone said the name "Pippin" to me, I would think one of two things - Peregrin Took, or the adorable dog from Come Outside (if you don't know what that is and have tiny ones, defo check it out). But, it is neither about a hobbit, nor about a dog that flies in the back of a spotty plane; it follows an acting troupe, or Players, who travel from town to town to tell the story of, well, Pippin - who is a young 20-something Prince who is searching for meaning in life, complete with a spectacular finale you'll never forget.

This isn't a new premise nowadays, with shows such as Avenue Q addressing the left-college/uni-and-now-what scenario (which I am very familiar with myself), so Pippin could well have been ahead of its time here. Oh well, I digress.

The group of Players take inspiration from Vaudeville, as well as caberet and circus, and it really fits a venue such as the Hope Mill. As you have also imagined, as it is a small theatre, it's quite a small cast; but I would like to say that they are all incredible, and made such a fantastic sound, particularly in big numbers like Morning Glory, that made the hairs on my arms stand up. However, there are a couple of people I do want to highlight here.

First of all, I want to say off that bat that I absolutely adored Jonathan Carlton as the main character.

To be honest, Pippin could easily be played as a bit of a whiny brat, but that was NOT what Carlton did. He played his frustration and cynicism incredibly well, so much so that it really hit home for me. Plus his voice was just incredible - from solos like Corner of the Sky to the adorable Prayer For A Duck, it suited Carlton to a T. He's one to watch in my book.

As the narrator of the show, Genevieve Nicole's Leading Player was definitely charismatic, though she could have been a little more of an ambiguous edge for me - although perhaps I am being a bit picky, as it is a very fine line to walk. I did also think her American accent put me off a bit, and just didn't fit with everyone else, who had a British accent (in one way or another, from a Mancunian Catherine to a Welsh Charles).

Finally I have to mention Mairi Barclay, who doubled up as both Fastrada and Berthe, and it is as Berthe for which she is given the mention here. Her No Time At All gave some proper laughs, plus a little bit of audience participation. Particularly as the ending gives a bit of a dark twist, the show needs moments like that....

I mentioned about a fine line when talking about the Leading Player, and this show does have a fine line concerning who it turns out the main character actually is - someone who imagines the Players to escape from the frustrations in his life. Like shows such as Into The Woods, it turns from being entertaining to giving its life moral rather quickly and bluntly - well, that's how it was for me anyway, and so anymore, and I think it would have been a bit overkill. But the good news is that this Pippin walked on its tightrope perfectly, not wobbling too much one way or the other.

Their last big musical production, Hair (which I unfortunately didn't get to see) will soon be playing its London transfer at The Vaults, and I am really hoping Pippin gets the same treatment. It has unfortunately has ended in Manchester, so I am hoping for a transfer so that more people can have the chance to see this Extraordinary production. Yes, I really, really enjoyed this one - and I am really looking forward to hopefully heading to the Hope Mill again soon.

Here's the trailer if you wanted to catch an idea of what the production was like - though of course it doesn't fully do it justice - hence I'd love a transfer =)