A&E

Revived Tony Award-winning ‘Pippin’ asks important questions

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Lucie Arnaz plays the role of Berthe in the musical “Pippin,” which runs from Tuesday through Nov. 30 at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Photo: Terry Shapiro
Jacob Coakley

The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall transforms into a big-top for the Tony Award-winning revival of the musical Pippin, which rolls into town this week for a limited engagement. Penned by Broadway legend Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) Pippin seemed destined to be a footnote, a product of its time, as much a part of the ’70s as the generational malaise between the young baby boomers and their elders. And then Diane Paulus got a hold of it, and the circus came to town. Her reimagined staging includes dazzling acrobatics created by the Canadian troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main and amplifies the show-within-a-show aspect of the musical, which asks: How far would you go to be extraordinary?

A traveling troupe of players, led by the dynamic Sasha Allen (from NBC’s The Voice), takes Pippin on a quest to realize his dream of being celebrated. As the contortionists twist and the acrobats fly, Pippin begins to wonder if maybe he just wants a simple life after all—but isn’t sure he can give up the allure of glory. Paulus has said this question is at the root of her production as it is “deeply relevant to our lives today. It can be relevant to anyone, from an 18-year-old trying to figure out the meaning of their life, to a middle-aged person trying to assess what they’ve achieved in their life.” The question comes to electrifying, dizzying life in this celebrated production.

Pippin Through November 30; Thursday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 2 p.m. $39-$139. Reynolds Hall, 702-749-2000.

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