From a performer towering above the stage on stilts to elaborate costumes and energetic musical numbers, Kirkwood Community College’s production of “Pippin” embraced the colorful, larger-than-life spectacle of the circus.
Based on the 2013 Broadway revival, the musical follows a young prince searching for purpose and fulfillment, guided by a mysterious troupe of performers who encourage him to pursue an extraordinary life.
Throughout its six-performance run, Kirkwood’s production embraced the musical’s theatricality with choreographed lifts, hula hoops, specialty acts and frequent audience interaction. Laughter, cheers and spontaneous comments from spectators became part of the experience, bringing an energy to the theater that weeks of rehearsals couldn’t fully replicate.
For the students involved, however, the production offered more than an opportunity to entertain. It became an experience shaped by creative challenges, newfound confidence and friendships that extended beyond the stage.
Bringing the spectacle to life
While rehearsals allowed the cast to prepare for its performances, the addition of a live audience introduced an element the performers couldn’t fully replicate in an empty theater. For a musical that frequently breaks the fourth wall, the presence of an audience was essential.
Eloise Prince, a music major who portrayed the Leading Player, spent much of the production speaking directly to spectators, something that was difficult to replicate during rehearsals.
“Half the time my character is speaking to the audience, so it’s very strange to practice a show and have the person you’re talking to not be there,” Prince said.
Once performances began, the audience’s reactions transformed everything from comedic timing to the energy of the musical numbers.
“It’s completely different because instead of talking to a dead wall, suddenly it’s alive and sending energy back to you,” Prince said. “It’s the best part. It’s great. It makes all the difference.”
Throughout the production, audience members responded with laughter, applause, cheers and occasional comments.
One of the most interactive moments came during Berthe’s musical number, when Skye Rodman, a visual arts major portraying Berthe, Pippin’s grandmother, encouraged spectators to sing and dance along. Audience members participated, and the number received some of the evening’s loudest cheers.
Rodman said the audience’s reactions influenced how performers delivered her lines, particularly during comedic scenes.
“You run off of energy from the audience,” Rodman said, “so I was able to be significantly funnier with an audience.”
Jeffrey Harrington, a music major who portrayed Pippin, said performing before spectators helped the cast understand which elements of the production were effective.
“It’s interesting because you rehearse and rehearse, and you don’t really ever know what’s working and what’s not working until you actually have people watching,” Harrington said.
According to Harrington, each audience brought a different atmosphere. Although the Halloween performance drew a smaller crowd, spectators remained responsive, while a nearly full house on Nov. 6 brought additional energy.
Shay Larson, a music major who portrayed Catherine, described the audience as an essential part of the production.
“This show needed an audience because they feel like their own character,” Larson said. “We needed their laughs and their responses for this to make any sense.”
Audience members also took notice of the performers’ energy.
Kirkwood graduate Reuben Thomas, who had performed in previous Kirkwood productions, said they went into “Pippin” without knowing what to expect.
“I went into this completely blind. It was very fun, very exciting and very flashy,” Thomas said. “I love when there’s a fourth-wall break in shows.”
Thomas also praised the enthusiasm of both the principal cast and ensemble.
“It looks like a show that you’re required to have fun with in order for it to be good,” they said.
A circus of talent
Beyond its principal characters, the production incorporated a variety of ensemble performances, elaborate costumes and choreography.
Performers used hula hoops, stilts and choreographed lifts throughout the show. Dancers incorporated splits, fans and belly-dancing movements. An expressive mime was among the ensemble members who contributed to the production’s circus-inspired presentation.
One sequence featured the Manson Trio performing Fosse-style choreography during “Glory,” with a battle unfolding behind them in slow-motion.
The production’s costumes also played a role in establishing its theatrical atmosphere. The Leading Player appeared in multiple outfits throughout the musical while Fastrada’s dramatic onstage costume changes became part of her performance.
For choreographer Anna Slife, watching students perform the movement they had spent weeks learning was especially rewarding.
“They light up with an audience,” Slife said. “It’s been so wonderful to see the audience give back the energy that the students have been giving for so many weeks now.”
Slife said some students initially lacked confidence in their dancing abilities but became more comfortable as rehearsals progressed.
“Once they were able to really trust themselves, the performance started to really come out and shine,” she said.
Director Emma Kostiv, an adjunct theater professor at Kirkwood, described “Pippin” as a complex production because of its combination of music, choreography, acting and technical elements.
She said watching the students develop their skills between auditions and opening night was one of the most rewarding parts of directing the show.
“One thing I’m really proud of is that so many of them have stepped out of their comfort zone in whatever ways that might be,” Kostiv said. “There are some people that have never danced before, some that have never performed in a musical.”
The production also allowed students to explore roles and skills they had not previously experienced.
Harrington said he particularly appreciated the opportunity to dance while portraying Pippin, a character whose range of emotions and physical movements provided different challenges.
Sommer McDaniel, a theater major who portrayed Fastrada, enjoyed the opportunity to combine acting, singing and dancing during “Spread a Little Sunshine.”
“I get to dance, I get to sing, I get to act, I get to do all of it,” McDaniel said. “It’s so much fun.”
For Tanner Bruckman, a liberal arts major who portrayed Lewis, the role offered an opportunity to play a character unlike those he had previously performed.
“I’ve never had to act like a strong guy. It was new,” Bruckman said.
Kostiv credited the contributions of students throughout the production, including those working behind the scenes.
“I think they just all brought such special gifts to the show and were willing to share them with the audience and with us,” Kostiv said. “We were able to incorporate all of their special skills.”
Connections beyond the stage
Alongside music and theater majors, the production included students studying nursing, visual arts and liberal arts.
Kostiv said students from a variety of academic disciplines have long participated in Kirkwood’s theater program, regardless of their previous performance experience.
“Anyone can come in and we will make it work with their schedule,” Kostiv said.
For many students, participating in the musical also offered an opportunity to meet people they might not otherwise have encountered.
Kloud Smith, a nursing major who portrayed Charlemagne, said joining the cast helped him develop friendships during his freshman year.
“Being a freshman and not knowing a lot of people and then going into this and making great connections and friendships with everybody,” Smith said.
McDaniel also identified the friendships she formed as the most rewarding part of her involvement.
“There were so many people I didn’t know, and I was scared to talk to,” McDaniel said. “Now I’m friends with basically everybody.”
Rodman recalled feeling similarly nervous during auditions and callbacks, but said those concerns gradually disappeared as she became more familiar with the cast.
“Then the more I realized they’re all weird theater kids, I let loose a little bit and I started hanging out with more people,” Rodman said.
Those developing relationships also contributed to the performers’ comfort onstage.
Prince said performing alongside familiar cast members made it easier to establish chemistry, particularly during scenes involving exaggerated or confrontational interactions.
Harrington described the experience as a team effort that strengthened relationships both onstage and off.
“You all become closer the more you just create the show together because it really is a team effort,” Harrington said.
Taking the final bow
After an evening of circus-inspired performances and theatrical spectacle, the musical’s finale brought a change in atmosphere.
As the show approached its conclusion, the stage lights gradually went out, stripping away the elaborate presentation that had characterized the production.
When the theater’s work lights came on, some audience members looked around in apparent confusion. The lights later returned, and the players reappeared onstage, lifting the performer portraying Theo in the production’s final sequence.
After six performances, the cast took their final bows, bringing weeks of work to a close.
For Smith, the reality that the production had ended did not immediately register.
“It didn’t feel real, if I’m being honest,” Smith said. “It felt like another show and then when I backed up, it finally hit, and I was like, ‘man, that was really fun.'”
Rodman described a mixture of sadness and relief as the production came to an end.
“Kind of sad because these people are my friends and I won’t have an excuse to hang out with them every day, but also relieved because my voice is tired and my wig is tight and I’m looking forward to having free time again,” Rodman said.
Harrington viewed the final bow as an opportunity to express gratitude to the audience as well as receive recognition for the cast’s work.
“I think of bowing as both accepting applause, but also giving the audience thanks for coming, and when you do it for the last time, it’s always a mix of emotions,” Harrington said.
For Kostiv, the conclusion offered an opportunity to reflect on the students’ accomplishments and the growth she witnessed throughout the production.
“I hope that they all go on to do amazing things and can take this experience ahead with them,” Kostiv said.
Although the production has ended, Kostiv said she will remember the group of students who came together to make it possible.
“The group that we’ve brought together for it and the music,” she said when asked what she would miss most. “When I hear the soundtrack pop up on Spotify, I’ll think of it warmly.”
Categories: Art & Life
