Hyndman commands stage in time-warping ‘Pippin’

For his senior thesis, Adam Hyndman ’12 stars in theater professor Tracy Bersley’s modern take on Stephen Schwartz’s classic, “Pippin.” This dark and mentally stimulating production features solid performances by the entire cast and, as a whole, is a very memorable show.

Schwartz wrote “Pippin” in the 1970s at the height of the Vietnam War and scattered strong anti-war sentiments throughout the musical; Bersley’s version is more modernized, with references to everything from World War II to Tiananmen Square. Hyndman’s character, the protagonist who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, mentally alternates between the present day and the time of Charlemagne. He thinks he is Pippin, Charlemagne’s deranged son. Hyndman and his crew take this information and twist it to fit into today’s world. For example, when Hyndman says “sword,” he pulls out a gun. The costumes also resemble military outfits from the late 20th century.

Hyndman’s performance is highly convincing, as he successfully inhabits both characters’ states of mind. His portrayal of Pippin is enhanced by his outstanding singing voice, which especially shines in the finale. The rest of the cast portrays workers in the modern-era mental hospital and characters in Pippin’s Charlemagne-era life. Jake Tempchin ’14 and Mary Lou Kolbenschlag ’14 deserve honorable mentions for their fabulous portrayals of Charles, Pippin’s father, and Catherine, Pippin’s lover. Their voices are spot-on, and their performances grow even stronger throughout the show. While other actors and characters can at times appear stiff and rigid, Kolbenschlag’s Catherine is one of the only characters to remain completely likeable and relatable throughout the show.

As director, Bersley does a fantastic job working with Hyndman. She takes the idea of a more modern, dark Pippin and makes it a reality. The sex scenes, expressed as beautiful ballet dances, bring light to the darkness of the rest of the show. These remarkable scenes make the characters seem more relatable and less harsh than they sometimes appear on stage.

The set design of the show is intriguing, to say the least. The stage is dominated by a large metal structure on which the characters move. In its center, the structure features a supersized television that changes color depending on the protagonist’s mood. The television also shows both colored footage of war and black-and-white stills of Hyndman in the mental hospital. Overall, set designer Jeff Van Velsor does a fantastic job, creating an even darker backdrop for a very dark musical.

The only downside to this past Saturday night’s performance was the sound. Technical issues dominated the first half of the show: The microphones went in and out, and sometimes the music was louder than the singers’ voices, which made it seem like they were mumbling. In a great facility like Berlind Theatre, how could the sound be so far off? This flaw was of great detriment to the production and hopefully will not recur in this weekend’s shows.

Hyndman’s thesis project passed this critic’s review with flying colors. At the end of the performance, he received a standing ovation by a majority of the audience, myself included. The passion he shows is jaw-dropping. It is not easy to play someone who is mentally insane, but Hyndman’s performance makes it look simple. The rewrite of the show is a bold step, but, by golly, it is a good one.

3.5 out of 5 paws