Pippin 50th Anniversary Concert – Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Lucie Jones, Patricia Hodge, Alex Newell, Jac Yarrow and Zizi Strallen, accompanied by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and ArtsEd choir, in Pippin at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London. Picture: Pamela Raith Photography

Pippin 50th Anniversary Concert was reviewed at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

More than anything, it was fun.

There is a dark, disturbing side to Pippin, a musical that tells the story of a young man brought to the brink in his endless quest for fulfilment and purpose. Sometimes, however, the menacing undertones can be magnified to the point where much of the show’s joy is lost. Not this night. Not with a magnificent cast that made this concert performance truly something to remember.

What devotees consider to be Stephen Schwartz’s finest work has not been absent from the UK in recent years but rare are the opportunities to see it brought to life with bells and whistles or, more accurately, a full live orchestra and choir.

That’s what we got here. With the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and 50 students from the ArtsEd Choir working from the back half of the stage, a stellar troupe of luminaries delivering something that would surely have delighted even ardent Pippin sceptics.

Perhaps director Jonathan O’Boyle’s reinvigoration of the show will lead to something more than a two-night concert run. That said, the briefness of the revival was no doubt key to attracting a squad of top-of-the-bill names who seemed to revel in the experience.

Alex Newell, who last year made history as the first nonbinary acting Tony winner for their role in Shucked, took the final bow as the sinister Leading Player after brilliantly belting out numbers that might well have been heard on Waterloo Bridge. To their left and right at curtain call were artists who had delivered tour de force displays.

Patricia Hodge (surely a Dame in waiting?) appeared in the original 1973 London production and made a triumphant return as Berthe, leading the audience in the glorious singalong ‘No Time at All’. Her original character, Catherine, was this time played by Lucie Jones, who hammed up the comedy in her part for all it was worth. Zizi Strallen’s Fastrada was rather different to her Mary Poppins, to the extent that at times she almost strayed into burlesque territory. She strayed exceptionally well.

Cedric Neal was a wonderfully camp King Charlemagne, while Idriss Kargbo was his wonderfully camp younger son Lewis. Truth be told, the whole thing was camp, camp, camp, even at times the monarch’s heir Pippin, inhabited superbly by Jac Yarrow.

‘Morning Glow’, performed with gusto by Yarrow at the end of Act I, is one of the great musical theatre songs yet it seldom gets recognised as such. To soar as it should, it needs the size, scale and sumptuous talent that made this production so memorable. On a Monday night in London, this was Pippin perfection.

Lee Mottershead