Presented by South Coast Choral and Arts Society (SCCAS)
Reviewed 8 October 2016
Robert Bell is a very fine actor, nailing every role that he has undertaken and well deserving of winning an award for Best Male Performance (Amateur) the past two years running. So this reviewer waited with baited breath to see how he would fare in his new role as a director (and of a musical no less). The answer is: extremely well!
Pippin is fairly much a classic musical nowadays and one of the very first shows that brought composer Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked) to the public’s attention. It is allegedly the story of Prince Pippin, eldest son of King Charlemagne, and his trying to find his way in life. In reality, it is a thinly disguised Everyman play, with lots of comedy, songs and wonderful dance routines thrown in for good measure.
Bell has taken the ‘play-within-a-play’ structure of the script and sprinted with it, adding some great little touches of his own. He keeps the pace flowing wonderfully, and makes sure that the whole production stays just the right side of ‘over the top’. His vision has a beautiful theatricality about it.
Jack Doherty IS ‘Pippin’
Having been originally directed on Broadway by the late, great Bob Fosse, Pippin is unashamedly a showcase for dancers: and who knew that there was such a plethora of them down on the South Coast! Choreographer Rebecca Kemp has seamlessly mixed Fosse’s original work with her own deft touches and the cast do her work more than justice.
Musical Director Jacqui Maynard more than makes sure the show hangs together musically; Lynne McGrail and Millie Doherty give the show extra pizazz with wonderfully colourful costumes; and sound operators Greg Rossiter, Jenny Penny and Tina Fahey need to be congratulated for managing to keep an opening night performance of an amateur staged musical ‘glitch free’ technically (trust me, doesn’t happen all that often in shows).
Emily-Jo Davidson (Leading Player) & Jack Van Rhoda (Theo)
Normally performed by a male, tour guide/Greek Chorus The Leading Player is played in this production by Emily-Jo Davidson and she is fantastic! Looking and sounding a little like Adelaide Cabaret star Amelia Ryan, Davidson shows us all how it should be done.
As Pippin himself, Jack Doherty has exactly the right amount of innocence, naivety and charm needed to pull off this difficult role, which he does. He flies like an eagle through the whole show, with his version of Corner Of The Sky being a particular highlight of this production.
Kim Bell as Berthe
There always should be a superb scene stealing performance in any musical and this production has two (three if you count the dog): Kim Bell is absolutely brilliant as Pippin’s Grandmother, Berthe and well worth the trip to Victor just to see her; and little Jack Van Rhoda as Theo would melt the heart of any hardened audience member. If his last moments on stage don’t put a lump in your throat – you’re not alive!
Byron Godwin-Knott as Lewis
Byron Godwin-Knott is a hit as Pippin’s younger, somewhat narcissistic brother, Lewis, with his great comic timing and fantastically fluid dance moves.
Robert has certainly managed to ring the Director’s ‘Bell’ with his first outing in this field. If you live in the area, go be entertained: if you are a city-dweller, this production is well worth the price of a good sturdy water bag to be entertained. So ‘journey to a place mystic and exotic’ well, just as far as Victor anyway.
Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods
Venue: Victor Harbor Town Hall
Season: 8 – 22 Oct 2016
Duration: 1 hour 30 mins plus a 20 min interval
Tickets: $14 – $22
Bookings: www.sccas.org.au
Toop Motors (RAA), Victor Harbor – 8552 1033
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