BY GILLIAN MCCRACKEN (’17)

From the beginning scenes, Hailey Rizor had the audience hooked on her charm and descriptions of what everyone was about to watch. With the amazing lead roles including Julien Thomas, Hailey Rizor, Zelli Markgraf, Aiden Anderson, Haley Russell, Renata Irving, and many more. With a large cast, filled with many talented actors, dancers, and especially singers, the play was destined to be amazing.

Julien Thomas who played the lead role of Pippin, played as a troubled boy who had grown up away from home and had finally returned. Once home, he searched near and far to find something that would help fill the hole and emptiness inside of him. While this was all happening, Hailey Rizor portrayed a narrator who was inside of Pippin’s head. Throughout the adventures and hard times of Pippin’s life, Hailey cued everything that happened. If something went wrong that Pippin did not like, Hailey could change it all around.

Once Pippin had fallen in love with the beautiful Catherine, Hailey was upset with the outcome. Catherine, played by Renata Irving, was a young widow who was intentionally according to the script supposed to put Pippin to work to see that she could not fill the emptiness. Later on, Catherine disregards her lines to follow her heart and fall in love with Pippin.

Towards the end of the musical, after some amazing solos by Haley, Zelli, Hailey, Julien, and Renata, Pippin realizes that the thing that fills his heart is Catherine and her son Theo. In the end, Hailey removes all of the costumes, makeup, set, and everything because Pippin decides he loves Catherine and does not want to be trapped down to have the “perfect act” and the perfect life without Catherine and Theo.

The musical portrays that although there is sometimes a struggle and sometimes leaves you feeling unfilled, it is better than having a short and sweet perfect act. The show as a whole was incredible, from the lights, makeup, the actors, singers, and the stage management. Mrs. Sharp never fails to put on an amazing show, and the cast never fails to do an amazing job.
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