Pippin

Directed by Mark Allan this wonderful raucous, but poignant musical brought wonder to the stage of The King’s Hall in Ilkley.  With the enigmatic opening of ‘Magic to Do’ who could not fail to want to join Leading Player and this troupe of travelling players into a show of intrigue, magic, sex and comedy?

For those not familiar with the musical the Leading Player, guides us through the story of Pippin who is a young prince seeking meaning and significance in his life after university.  Pippin and his father King Charlemagne along with other characters in the musical are drawn from historical figures of the early Middle Ages, but here any historical accuracy ends.  Queen Fastrada is Pippin’s ambitious and plotting stepmother keen to promote her own son, the somewhat dim-witted Lewis.  We also meet Berthe who is Pippin’s paternal grandmother.  Though she has been exiled by Fastrada, she reassures Pippin about his future and encourages him to find the pleasure in living in the moment. 

The characters were all very strong and supported by an excellent ensemble who as well as dancing, singing and acting did the stage shifting and threw in some circus acts and acrobatics – fabulous work. Laura Judge as the demanding Queen was imposing and confident – she strutted around to great effect and looked every inch the boss.  Matthew Nutting was very funny in the role of Lewis and had the mummy’s boy persona down perfectly – very comical.  Andrew Howarth played Charlemagne very well and all the characters delivered their lines very clearly.  Loretta Marklew was hilarious as Berthe giving a wonderful rendition of ‘No Time at All’.

In act 2 Pippin finds a meaningful love interest in the widowed Catherine (Sadie Bellerby) who despite put downs from Leading Player makes an impact on Pippin so that he sees that the ordinary can actually be extraordinary.  Bellerby was a sensitive Catherine, with a strong voice and a lovely poise which was the perfect contrast to the life Pippin was living at court. Catherine’s son, Theo, played by Henry Hyland managed to be wistful and funny and also provide the very poignant ending to the show.  A strong performance from a young boy in a show littered with adult themes. 

Barely off the stage Rachel McMahon as Leading Player had a wonderful physicality and moved and responded with great timing.  Her strong voice and acting ability made her a great choice for this very demanding part.

And to the title role - Joel Ensink was an excellent Pippin.  His angsty teenage portrayal had me double-checking my memory for whether this really was a 1972 work or whether it was a 2022 post-lockdown youngster with anxiety and a shedload of worries packed into the latest iphone.  What Ensink showed was that five decades later the key themes of coming of age, self-discovery, and the consequences of seeking external validation are just as relevant now as when the teenage Shwartz started to write the musical in 1967.  Ensink really captured the bright-eyed wonder, the growth and development required for the role and built these into his performance.  I truly hope he got as much enjoyment from this captivating part as he gave to the audience.

The score is beautiful and Musical Director, Mike Gilroy, had clearly worked the cast hard to create enigmatic harmonies and some very powerful ensemble singing.  There was an effort to encourage the audience to sing along in ‘It’s Time to Start Living’.  The Pit Singers also enhanced the ensemble numbers.

Costumes were great and the set, which had been created in house, was hugely impressive.  Lighting was very imaginative and the sound was excellent.  It was an impressive production of a challenging show. Congratulations to the creative minds of the Cast and Production Team that brought this musical to Ilkley – a wonderful escape with thought provoking overtures so relevant to the world today.

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