Pippin – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Mia Quimpo, Clare Brice and Imogen Amos in Pippin at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London. Picture: Inigo Woodham-Smith

Pippin continues at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London until 11 January 2026.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Nestled cosily alongside the five thousand other reasons to love Highgate’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse – its championing of new work, the gorgeous pub downstairs, its position on a hill for strategic advantage in a combat situation, etc. – lies its consistently excellent festive programming. Annlouise Butt and Isaac Bernier-Doyle of Chromulume Theatre (who run the venue) have stated that they prefer “non-traditional” productions this time of year, “shows that dazzle even as they disturb”. In recent years we have been treated to fantastic productions of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Road Show, but for 2025-26, Stephen Schwartz’s Pippin is an inspired choice.

Firstly, there will be the many theatre fans who have just wept through Wicked: For Good and now, having enjoyed one Stephen Schwartz masterpiece, will be curious to see the show that earned him his first Tony Award nomination. Secondly, in an era where the tension between social media-fuelled aspirational self-image and brutal reality is leading to an ever-increasing crisis of mental health in the young, its themes have never been more pertinent. And thirdly, Pippin’s smoke, magic, glitter and spectacle make for a show as festive as you can get without mentioning the impending holidays themselves. ‘Circus’ and ‘Christmas’ are basically the same word if you squint hard enough.

Another consideration must have been Pippin’s adaptability. One day, there will be a production of Wicked staged in a small room above a pub. It will no doubt be a great deal of fun and I will be among the first to purchase tickets, but it would almost certainly lose something in that translation from the enormous Victoria Apollo Theatre stage. Pippin, however, works brilliantly on any budget. This is a show about a ragtag group of performers putting on a makeshift show; their budget is irrelevant.

First, we are introduced to the players – a troupe of performers who promise us a magical show with a finale we will never forget. An apparently unsuspecting audience member is then plucked out to stand in for the lead. Thankfully, this turns out to be the fantastic Lewis Edgar who is soon belting down the house with iconic ‘I want’ song, ‘Corner of the Sky’. From here, the players – led by a room-commanding and menacing Emily Friberg – sing Pippin through his struggles for self-actualisation.

Born as a prince, Pippin struggles to define himself as he explores war, sex, politics and domestic simplicity. All the while he is haunted by the players continually pushing him with sinister glee towards “one final perfect act”. These insidious voices have done this before and Pippin is just their latest victim. However, we are a lucky audience: something is different this time. Pippin has a greater capacity for love than they were expecting, and perhaps there is hope for him after all…

Tasked with saving Pippin from himself by convincing him that happiness can be found without the “extraordinary”, the role of Catherine is a difficult one. However, Mia Quimpo very nearly steals the whole show in her professional debut. It is impressive to see singing, acting and dancing this strong and confident straight out of drama school and Amos is surely West End-bound.

Elsewhere, Oliver Wood has a winningly hilarious and booming take on King Charlemagne (‘Charles’). Helena Caldas throws herself into the camp ridiculousness of scheming stepmother Fastrada whole-heartedly and Clare Brice brings the house down with eternal crowd favourite ‘No Time at All’.

Beyond the stunning cast, it is in the songs where this production shines. Musical director Harry Style’s five-piece band are on top form and director/choreographer Amanda Noar makes some effective choices in staging. Thankfully, she ensures the distinctive fingerprints of legendary original Broadway director/choreographer Bob Fosse remain intact while injecting her own vision.

Hannah Danson’s set and costume design has something of a toy box aesthetic. Colours and fabrics and set-pieces may not necessarily all complement one another tastefully, but this does add to the feel of a troupe putting on a show with whatever bits and pieces they can find, doing whatever they can to magically infest Pippin’s mind. To top off this gift of a show with a perfect bow, Simon Jackson’s striking lighting design adds a brilliant sheen to the stage.

Bursting with very strong performances and some great ideas – both original and accumulated from years of this piece being produced – there are times when the production does threaten to fall apart. Amidst considerable chaos, some jokes are lost, sometimes it’s hard to connect emotionally as we rush through Pippin’s expansive book (by Roger O Hirson with contributions from Fosse), and sometimes there is simply and overwhelming number of feats of acrobatics and magical illusion happening all at once. However, the strong and charming central cast and Schwartz’s score of now classic musical theatre songs ensure we don’t ever stop enjoying ourselves.

We can all fall victim to the stories we tell ourselves, but there is always hope and salvation in being open to love while living in accord with reality, rather than in opposition to it. This show is probably a little too dark and a little too bloody and a little too sexy to be a family festive outing, but if you’re looking for a riotously fun night out beyond the usual bawdy pantos and Christmas-themed cabarets, this production is perfect. It will make you laugh, it will make you think, and – crucially – when those superb songs get stuck in your head they will push out Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’. What more could you ask for this holiday season?

Ian Bowkett