Pippin

After the first lockdown in 2020, a pared-back production of Pippin opened at the Garden Theatre in south London. Director Steven Dexter set the show in 1967, when it was originally conceived, paralleling the musical’s themes with the generational conflict of that era.

That outdoor production has been transplanted indoors maintaining the traverse staging but allowing much more space for the story to unfold.

The greatest benefit of this new staging is the way it allows Nick Winston’s vibrant choreography to shine. The original Broadway production was choreographed by Bob Fosse and Winston reflects this with a series of thrilling set pieces. From the futility of conflict expressed in Glory to the hip-swivelling soft-shoe-shuffle of Right Track, Winston gets to put his stamp on this show in a way he simply couldn’t last year when it was performed outdoors.

Some members of the cast return, notably the lyrical Ryan Anderson as Pippin and Daniel Krikler as his domineering father Charles. There is a stand-out performance from Ian Carlyle as the Leading Player. His smooth, beguiling presence guides the show. Carlyle is a charismatic narrator physically and vocally, who never once lets you forget he’s the ringmaster.

The intensity of the finale gives this often-misjudged musical real heft. There is lightness too, with Genevieve Nicole on good comic form as Berthe and Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson equally strong as the scheming, vampish Fastrada. Dexter’s production was a breath of fresh air last year and it deserves the chance to be seen by a wider audience.