PippinThe Mark Taper Forum
(135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90012)
A production of Deaf West Theatre
Date of reviewed performance: March 12, 2009
Cast
Leading Player - Ty Taylor
Pippin - Michael Arden, Tyrone Giordano
Fastrada, Player - Sara Gettelfinger
Berthe, Player - Harriet Harris
Lewis, Player - James Royce Edwards
Charles, Player - Troy Kotsur
Voice of Charles, Player, Soldier - Dan Callaway
Catherine, Player - Melissa van der Schyff
Theo, Player - Jose F. Lopez, Jr.
Voice of Theo, Player, Noble - Bryan Terrell Clark
Player - Nicholas Conway
Player, Voice of Torch Bearer, Voice of Noble, Courier #1, Voice of Courier #2 & #3 - Rodrick Covington
Player, Magician Assistant - Rebecca Ann Johnson
Player, Noble, Courier #2, Peasant - John McGinty
Player, Torch Bearer, Petitioner, Courier #3 - Anthony Natale
Player, Voice of Petitioner, Visigoth Head, Voice of Peasant - Aleks Pevec
Player, Magician Assistant - Victoria Platt
Player, Magician Assistant - Nikki Tomlinson
Player, Magician Assistant, Visigoth Arm - Alexandria Wailes
Swing - Jonah Blechman
Swing - Jonah Blechman
Deaf West has done it again. Already reknown for staging innovative, groundbreaking productions, Deaf West has taken a thirty-something year old musical and not only updated it - but made it relevant in a completely new way. Pippin is one of my favorite musicals and everytime I hear someone use the phrase "re-imagining" I immediately get a sense of dread. Rarely does anything good come out of something reimagined. If anything, it just makes you want to go see a faithful version so you can remember why you liked it in the first place. Yet, in less than a year's time, TWO local theatre companies in Los Angeles have "re-imagined" Pippin. I am equally surprised and happy to say that both did so to amazing and wonderful results. See Pippin blog in the archive from last summer to see the results from East West Players. The latest reimagining comes from Deaf West.
A few years ago, Deaf West received a lot of attention for its revival of Big River. Eventually it went to Broadway and the cast received honorary Tony awards for innovation in theatre. I really hope to see this production of Pippin do equally well. This production is made of of actors both hearing able and hearing impaired. All of the actors use American Sign Language throughout the show. Vocals for the hearing impaired actors are handled in a variety of ways: an off-stage actor saying the lines as the on-stage actor acts and signs; an ensemble actor coming on to the stage briefly to vocalize for a signing actor mid-scene; and finally, in only the case of the title character Pippin, a second actor costumed exactly the same as the first, following the first actor around and providing vocalizations in speech and song when needed. One might think that this might be distracting, but it's not. It adds texture to the performance and relationships between characters that hasn't existed in any other production of Pippin previous.
Both Pippins (Michael Arden and Tyrone Giordano) do a fanatastic job - they work as one, even though at times their relationship is clearly between two. Harriet Harris (who most will remember from Desperate Housewives) is a fun Granmother Berthe. This sold-out audience was a little more difficult than most to get into the spirit of "In No Time At All," but this wasn't the fault of Harris. Thursday night crowds - their heads are already into Friday - go figure. But the musical numbers were right on and even given that this production does not have an intermission, the show went quickly.
In a nod toward ASL and the importance of signed communication to a show such as this, holes were in the floor of the stage throughout as hands would appear through them periodically to do everything from handing off props, to groping the leading character and getting involved in dance numbers. In another running bit, the girls of the ensemble periodically wove magic tricks into the story. The first trick of the night - in which they were to introduce the second, interpreter Pippin by sawing the first Pippin in two - actually got screwed up, leaving the girls in the ensemble giggling and the Leading Player a bit perplexed. But they quickly recovered and moved on with the show - the rest of the night's tricks went off without a hitch.
As the show draws towards its end and the promised Finale, there are some wonderfully powerful moments. I won't spoil them for you here because they are worth experiencing for yourself. This is a truly wonderful production of an always fun musical. Deaf West's last performance is tomorrow (so get there if you can) - but here's hoping for an extended run.
Pippin:
