Meet the Family of Pippin

Posted 6/27/22

SPRING VALLEY –The year is 780 AD and King Charlemagne is the undisputed ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. And what a rule! He governs with an iron fist, but has turned chaos into order and as such, …

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Meet the Family of Pippin

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SPRING VALLEY –The year is 780 AD and King Charlemagne is the undisputed ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. And what a rule! He governs with an iron fist, but has turned chaos into order and as such, the entire empire bows to him.

Prince Pippin, as the first born of King Charlemagne, is an educated idealist who has just returned home after studying at Padua University. He is on a quest to find something suitable for his talents, some kind of extraordinary destiny that he will fulfill, even though he cannot quite put his finger on exactly what that might be.

Fastrada, Pippin’s stepmother and wife of Charlamagne, has her own agenda. Her goals are to drain the treasury and displace her husband with her own son, Lewis. Fastrada is very cunning and will do anything to promote Lewis as the next heir to the throne.

Lewis is very much his mother’s son, although not quite as clever as Fastrada. He is filled with self-importance and can do no wrong in the eyes of his mother. In a nutshell, “Lewis loves Lewis.”

Charlemagne’s feisty mother, Berthe, has been run out of the kingdom by her daughter- in-law Fastrada. The wonderfully blunt Berthe has a very refreshing outlook on life and is more than willing to share it with her grandson Pippin, much to Pippin’s embarrassment. This is one complicated and complex family!

Pippin’s story is that of a young man’s journey through life; searching for his own sense of belonging. He encounters many ad- ventures on his journey but none as grand as “The Finale”, when his quest finally makes sense and becomes clear to him. Join Pippin and his family as they journey together with big songs and electric dance numbers in this summer’s magical Stagehands’ musical production of Pippin. Show dates are July 14-17 and 21-24 with all performances in the air-conditioned Spring Valley Theatre. Reserved seating is available at www.svstagehands. org

Submitted by Lori Peterson, Spring Valley Stagehands