Highland Park High School students will take audiences on a journey of glory, adventure, and love during this week’s production of Pippin, which chronicles the struggles of a young prince trying to build an extraordinary life.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16, 17, and 18, and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 19 in Highland Park High School’s Palmer Auditorium. Balcony tickets are $12, and reserved seats are $15. Tickets are available online or at the door.
The production’s 46 cast members and 20 crew members began preparing to bring Pippin to the stage on the first day of school. Rehearsals during performance week stretched from 4 to 10 p.m. daily.
The result of the students’ efforts is a spellbinding show that features complex dances and beautiful vocals. In addition to performing, the team behind Pippin did everything from painting props and steaming costumes, to sewing chess headpieces that dancers wear in one battle scene.
Senior Esra Melech, the production’s Leading Player, called Pippin “a monster of a show.” She hoped that audiences are riveted by its action.
“I just hope they feel joy watching it, they understand what’s going on, and that they can feel the amount of energy and the amount of ourselves we put into this show,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel like they can look away from the stage for any reason.”
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Sophomore Carter York, who plays King Charlemagne, called the ensemble performances one of the production’s highlights, explaining that “the group songs are really where pieces come together.”
The students’ performance uses games to tell Pippin’s story, a departure from the circus theme featured in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, and most productions since.
Drawing on the idea that Pippin is playing the hand he has been dealt in life, the show’s director, Brittany Murphy, and technical director, Joseph Burnam, employed classics such as darts, tug-of-war, and musical chairs to help their audience join Pippin in his quest for greatness.
Some ideas for how to stage the production came from students, who worked “insanely hard” to make the musical exceptional, Murphy said. The cast and crew pitched in whenever help was needed, taking ownership, and showing up for their friends and theater community.
The impact of the production doesn’t end with the audience, Murphy noted. It also gives students a feeling of having accomplished something in a community where they are valued, and with people who they love.
“I think about my own theater teacher and how she made me feel so important, and I never will forget that in my life,” she explained. “It’s just very important to me that they have this to look back on.”
Cast members hope elements of Pippin’s story resonate with their audience, who may be able to apply the prince’s lessons to their own lives.
“He’s always wanting to do the next big thing, the next big thing,” said Jaron Pierce, who plays the title role. “He soon discovers that maybe it’s not the next big thing that’s the best for him.”
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