Pippin

We've got magic to do, just for you...

Scott and Joshua appeared in Pippin, the 2001 musical at the River Dell High School. The musical ran from March 30 to April 1 here in Oradell, NJ.

Scott, a sophomore, was cast as "The Leading Player"... sort of a ringmaster for the play about the life and times of Pippin (the son of Charles the Great of France, circa 740 A.D.). This is the same role that Ben Vereen won a Tony for on Broadway.

Joshua, a 6th grader was cast as "Theo", a small lovable boy, with his large lovable duck.

Lauren and I both helped a bit with the production... we orchestrated some of the magical effects, like the levitation shown above (for the "Magic to do" production number). Other effects included producing Pippin from a small house that gets assembled during the song; lights at Scott's fingertips, and the production of a rose. It was nice to see Scott get a chance to perform magic that doesn't involve a deck of cards < s >.

One nice touch was the way Scott's wardrobe changed during the play. He starts out in all black, and red accents are added progressively throughout the show, until he's dressed in red. During the intermission, Scott's makeup was intensified with red glitter to make him look a bit more menacing.

I've posted some of the photos, that give a feel of the production. Click on the small images below for larger views.

We've got magic to do, just for you	Pippin, his life and times	... and oh, those Visigoth women!	Sometimes I wonder...	Charlemagne's troops
War is a science...	...with rules to be applied	...and gentlemen, and then...	the men go marching out into the fray	Blood, is red as sunset.. blood is warmer than wine
Glory.... glory!	Soft shoe	Battles, barbarous and bloody	Talking head	Berthe's big number
Sex presented pastorally	Pippin stages a revolution	Spread a little sunshine	Mother and son	Morning Glow
Can you put this back on my shoulders?	Take it eeeeeasy	You're on the right... Track	The script says "Naggingly!"	Prayer for a duck
I guess I'll miss the man	When you do it, it will be for real	Think about your life, Pippin	The power and the glory are there at your command	Trapped, but happy

Makeup!

Click here or on the photo above to see how Scott's makeup was applied.

Serendipity

A week before the play opened, Lauren and Scott went into Manhattan to see Ben Vereen in a production of Fosse on Broadway. Scott wrote a note to Mr. Vereen telling him of his upcoming role, and Lauren handed the note to the stage door manager before the performance.

After the show, Scott and Lauren were invited back to Mr. Vereen's dressing room, where the actor was very helpful in giving his impressions about the way he played the character. He treated Scott as a fellow actor, and needless to say, Scott was delighted.

Headshot

Below is a headshot of Scott made a couple of months before the play.

Scott liked the photo, but commented that he wasn't thrilled about the way his hair looked. I told him to be happy that he has hair... and then I showed him a small modification to the photo that can be seen if you click here. It's my job as DAD to do this kind of thing to him < vbg >.

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