BBT’s ‘Pippin’ strikes a bawdy chord

Friday, April 27, 2007

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff Photo by Gary Smith Charlemagne, left, played by Alex Deleon, listens impatiently as his heir, Crown Prince Pippin, begins to talk about what he learned at university. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story   If you go ... ‘‘Pippin,” presented by NobleHeart, the Black Box Resident Company, will be presented weekends from April 27-May 20. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays in the Black Box Theatre in the Indian Head Center for the Arts. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for groups, seniors and students. The theater is at 4185 Indian Head Highway. Call 800-494-8497.

Presented by NobleHeart, the Black Box Resident Company, the story take place in the late 700s — about 768 A.D., to be a bit more precise.

King Charles – or Charlemagne – Is a wild and wonderful guy, if you don't happen to be a peasant, barbarian or Visigoth. Played over the top by Alex Deleon, the royal ruler of the world (as it was known) has two sons.

His younger son, Lewis, played by the lovely to look at but dumb Andrew Vergara Retizos, is by his second wife, the equally lovely but scheming Fastrada, played by Sara Huff.

Narcissus could take lessons from Lewis, who is all about his physique and his warrior skills.

The heir to the throne, Pippin, is quite the opposite. Highly intelligent and attractive in a tall, lanky way, the prince, played by Joseph Garlock, has just returned from university. He is ready to take up his role as the heir to the throne, but finds that fighting wars, subsequent relaxing debauchery and his father's tight-fisted rule are too repressive for his spirit. He begins a search for fulfillment — a journey which takes him through many experiences.

The story is narrated and the players are ‘‘directed” to some degree by a character known as the Lead Player, played by Genevieve James. Most of the time, the performers do what she says, but when hey choose to follow their own paths, ooh, look out.

The small cast seems like far more than a mere 11 people for all of the gyrations and outrageous actions that take place.

This is not a play for children, for there are numerous allusions to rather adult matters. It is, however, a hysterical rampage over Monty Python and Gilbert and Sullivan with some acid tripping strobe light scenes.

Despite the frolicking players, though, there is a moral — or two or three — to the story, but I will leave it to you to find one.

Rated VA17-VAAVRIPAM.DMI.: Very Adult And Very Rich In Performances And Music. Don't Miss It.