Big questions take center stage in Footlite’s “Pippin”

By WYNNE BRUBAKER
news@readthereporter.com

Can you blunder into a good life just by following your heart? If you aren’t sure, then you should watch a young Frankish prince on his journey to find the meaning of life in the sensational coming-of-age musical, Pippin.

Footlite Musicals will stage Pippin’s daring expedition at Hedback Theatre, 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis, on Thursdays through Sundays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. Footlite Director Claire Slaven spoke to The Reporter about Footlite’s unique interpretation of the classic musical.

While the latest revivals of Pippin focused heavily on circus tricks and acrobatics, Slaven said she decided not to go that route.

“I think it’s really cool when it’s done that way, but in my opinion, the music and the story are really beautiful, and so I wanted to focus more on that,” Slaven said. “We decided to pay homage to the big top circus by having an abandoned circus feel. It still has elements of a circus, but it’s a little bit darker, a little bit simpler. I think it elevates the music and the story a lot more, which is something that people tend to miss when they’re so focused on the tricks and the sparkle of the show.”

With more room to expand on the emotion and character development in the show, audience members will see themselves in Pippin. Regardless of age or background, Pippin presents emotional motifs that summarize the human experience.

“I like being a part of a show where people go and anybody in the audience can see themselves in that story,” Slaven said. “With Pippin, you have this young man, he’s a prince, but you have a young man who is desperately trying to find something fulfilling in life, something that is extraordinary, something that makes him stand out among the rest. He’s just trying to find where he fits in. I think everybody who comes to see the show has felt that way in some way, shape, or form: that they don’t fit, and they’re not sure where they fit, and they want to find their path.”

Pippin not only presents themes of growth and reflection, but also the importance of relationships.

“I talk to the characters, the person who plays the character Pippin, and the person who plays the character Catherine, because they have, I think, the strongest relationship in the show,” Slaven said. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking to them about, ‘What do you think Pippin is feeling at this moment, what do you think that would be like for you to be searching for something so powerful and you end up finding somebody so simple, but that’s the person you fall in love with.’”

However those connections were not limited to the characters. The love depicted on stage began with the first script reading and grew with each rehearsal as cast members found community in Footlite Musicals. Because Slaven began her career as an actor before being introduced to directing, it was easy to connect and communicate with the actors on set.

“I think being an actor makes being a director a lot easier in the sense that I’ve seen it from both perspectives,” Slaven said, “and so I have a lot of empathy for what it’s like to be on stage and having a director ask you to do things and ask you to change things sometimes, and so I think having that viewpoint has definitely made me a better director.”

Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com

Within Pippin’s relatively small cast of 18 people, lifelong connections were created.

“A smaller cast always makes it easier for people to connect, but this cast in particular has just been really, really special,” Slaven said. “There have been times where we’ve been done with rehearsal a little bit early, and you’ll see a cast ready to go. They got their stuff, they’re out the door. But this cast in particular has been asking me, ‘Hey, would you mind sticking around? Can we sit around and just work on, you know, vocals or whatever?’ They love to be together and they have done a lot of things outside of the show together. There’s a lot of camaraderie and a lot of friendships that have grown. I’m certain that part of it is because they’re just really great people, but a lot of it does have to do with the fact that it is just a smaller group.”

You let this cast take you along on Pippin’s journey at Hedback Theatre, 1847 N. Alabama St., Indianapolis, on Thursdays through Sundays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. Go to footlite.org/show/pippin or email boxoffice@footlite.org to purchase tickets.