Simsbury Summer Theater Presents 'Pippin'

The Simsbury Summer Theater continues its almost 50 years of excellence when the troupe presents “Pippin” from August 3-6 at the Werner Centennial Theater on the campus of the .

Backed by an experienced cast, from high school freshmen to college undergrads, the company prepares to bring the mystery, intrigue, and energy of the Broadway musical to life.

The Tony Award-winning production comes with its challenges, but according to artistic director Joe Campolieta, the players are rising to the occasion.

“It’s a difficult show, but the kids have really stepped up big,” said Campolieta, who served as musical director for seven years before taking over as artistic director. “We’ve already made it through the whole show a couple of times. I think we are in a good spot.”

John Fitzpatrick is Pippin, a curious and existential son of Charlemagne who seeks fulfillment out of life. Being in the spotlight is nothing new for Fitzpatrick, a vocal performance major at New York University.

The casting of Pippin, along with every other character, is chosen carefully after a series of callbacks and reads with others in the audition room.

“We may call back two to three people for each role and we put them together in different combinations to see what works best,” Campolieta said. “I break no new ground with the audition process. This is the way it is everywhere.”

In his third year with the theater, JV Bahrenburg portrays the stoic Charlemagne. The song-laden production is a departure from the norm for Bahrenburg, who studies drama and Shakespeare at Hofstra University.

“It’s always interesting to come back and be a part of a musical comedy when what I study is such a juxtaposition of that,” he said. “The biggest challenge, to me, is definitely the singing.”

Aiding Pippin in his journey is the Leading Player, who often invites the audience to join in on the action. The theater split the Leading Player role in two for the production, with Alyssa Lungarini and Ryan Eakins sharing the honor. Both are veterans to the summer production, which helps them define their ever-changing role in the story.

“It’s your ‘show within a show’ type of musical and that’s hard to get across sometimes,” Campolieta said. “The kids worked really hard to understand what is going on and they are doing an excellent job with it.”

The show keeps the audience guessing and the players active, something that the entire cast embraces.

“There is always something going on for everyone,” said third-year dancer Samantha Monroe. “It’s a chorus show. It keeps everyone involved.”

This is the first time that the Simsbury Summer Theater has put on a production of “Pippin” in its 46-year history. The company serves as a tight knit community that brings together a group of adolescents, no matter what musical background someone might have.

“[The theater] has everything: singing, dancing and music,” said second-year dancer Kelsea Hagstrom. “It’s just a great experience all around.”

With only a few days to go until the show premiers, the theater is starting to see their goal realized on the stage.

“We were really nervous at first, but over the course of the last four or five days it has really come together,” Bahrenburg said. “We are doing runs and watching runs now thinking, ‘OK, this is going to be pretty darn good.’”

“Pippin” runs August 3-6 at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on August 6. To purchase tickets and for other ticket information, call 860-212-3507 or email ssttickets@gmail.com. Ticket purchases can also be made online at www.sstfy.com.