Pippin Tour? — Page 17

"I've never heard such a pumped up sound system in my life - both orchestra and vocals... (not in a bad way...) - so the sound made certain the audience was into the show. "

Interesting since when I saw the tour ( which I Loved) I thought the sound was thin at times.

Yes the back flip has been done on tour. When I saw Sam he was doing a modified trick, I'm assuming as they work towards the flip.
Aside from that, what did you think of the show?

The group I was with, including myself, all enjoyed the show very much. The level of talent on the stage is quite amazing. I saw the show in NYC this summer, but other than that, I'm pretty new to it.

I will say that although the Leading Player has a tremendous voice, I did sometimes get a little lost in the words with the riffing and felt the choice of syncopation in Magic to Do slowed the flow of the song. I felt she got stronger as the show went on and is a great choice for that role.

I absolutely loved the performances by the performers playing the King, Fastrada, Catherine, and Berthe.

Also, at our performance, one of the hula hoops flew off the outstretched leg above the head of a performer and flew into the netting above the pit. It had no impact on the performance except that there was no hoop to jump through. It really makes you appreciate how difficult each and every one of those stunts are!

I wish continued success to the touring company and hope it continues to make new fans all around the country.

Saw the show last night and on Tuesday in Nashville. Loved it and was overall extremely impressed. The production values are wonderful and this is truly a great company.

As Pippin, Sam Lips did a nice job on Tuesday - he's a little pitchy at times, but has a great presence and smile. His acting was fine. That said, Henry Gottfried was on last night - and knocked it out of the ballpark. His vocals were absolutely excellent - he has a deeper timbre to his voice, which is great for this character. His acting was believable and endearing. He's got a bright future ahead!!

Sasha Allen as the Leading Player...honestly, in my opinion, is a joke. I try to be positive about performances, and she does have a beautiful, rich voice and stage presence, but she just uses both entirely wrongly throughout this show. Her diction is deplorable. I couldn't understand a lot of what she was saying. At times, she would even breathe in the middle of a word...that's basic Voice 101 no-no. As for the "acting", I felt shrieked at. There was no depth. No threat. Just a lot of shouting. Very disappointed.

The ABSOLUTE, hands-down standout for me was Kristine Reese as Catherine. She brings such a beautiful, lifelike depth to a role that is too often played simply for laughs - though she gets the laughs as well - but because she is playing an actual human being who we can all identify with. She brings so many layers to the role - and her speech on Pippin's "one year anniversary" made me tear up both nights. She is SO real and radiant onstage. It's intriguing to watch Reese effortlessly switch back-and-forth between the character of Catherine she is playing and the character she plays as a player in the show. She is the heart of this show - no question - and the audiences both nights I attended seemed to agree based on cheers at curtain call. And her voice...let's not even. She has a glorious belt but also a VERY well controlled mix she can masquerade as a belt at times - and the result is a powerful, warming voice - very shimmery and with lovely vibrato. She commands the stage with her vocals and acting. One of the best performances I've seen live on stage.

John Rubenstein is quite funny and aloof as Charles - he had me giggling every time he was on the stage. Sabrina Harper's Fastrada is sexy and cunning - evil, while still making you like the character. Her voice is quite easy on the ears! Callan Bergmann is great as Lewis - very funny and very handsome!!

Priscilla Lopez was hilarious and engaging as Berthe - it was so fantastic to see this Broadway veteran in the role. You can tell she's absolutely having a blast onstage.

In the ensemble - Lisa Karlin stands out as a beautiful player - her facial expressions are absolutely lovely and she moves very well. On a not as nice note, Boris York (who plays the Rooster) is just too much - it seems like he's trying to make the whole scene about him - while it's about Theo and the duck.

Overall, it was two great evenings - enjoyed seeing this show and highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance to see it.

The very first hit on Google.

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Your serious Jorge?

Saw Lisa Karlin as LP today in Nashville - THAT is how you do the role, people. Her vocals were impeccable and powerful, and she really got the character. She was intimidating, sexy, and commanded the stage without ever going over the top. I definitely understand the love for her!

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Sabrina Harper made her Leading Player debut last night in Tampa. She has now played every female role in the show.

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Updated On: 4/19/15 at 10:29 AM

Anyone know how long Adrienne Barbeau is going to be playing Bertha? I would really like to see her when the show comes here in KC this July.

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Caught the show tonight in Orlando. Full cast was on.

I've never been too familiar with Pippin. Aside from knowing a few songs and the basic premise, I didn't see the revival on Broadway or in any other regional productions. That being said, it took me a little while to warm up to it, but I ended up loving everything about it by the end.

I know there has been much debate about Sasha Allen, and maybe it's because I haven't seen anyone else, but I thought she was wonderful. Great vocals, dancing, and acting. The whole finale scene was haunting. Sam Lips as Pippin, while maybe not the greatest singer, had a great stage presence and you can tell he is an amazing dancer. He looked most in his element during "On The Right Track". The rest of the supporting cast was great, particularly Adrienne Barbeau as Berthe and Callan Bergmann as Lewis. There were several audible gasps throughout "No Time At All". A strong ensemble as well. I 'obviously never saw the tour earlier in it's run, but it seems to be holding up well.

HOWEVER, the show belongs to Kristine Reese as Catherine. She is absolutely stunning as Catherine. The second act soars with her. There was a cute bit tonight when her and Sam could not stop laughing. It took her quite some time to get it back together, and the audience loved it. I know she has gotten much praise in several reviews I have read, and she truly deserves it!

By the end, I was enthralled, and I am definitely a new fan of Pippin and would recommend this tour to anyone.

I also caught this in Orlando and loved it. Most of the cast was just as good as the broadway cast except Sam Lips. He was kind of bad. His singing was awful and he wasn't a very good dancer. Sasha Allen was passable. She wasn't nearly as good as Patina Miller, but her performance (especially in the 2nd act) was good.

Sam Lips was great when I saw him earlier this year.

Just as a note, Henry Gottfried and Callan Bergmann went on as Pippin for 3 of the performances this weekend. Sam might not have been feeling well when you saw him.

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