We sat down with EU Footlights ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe where they bring Pippin performing at Paradise in Augustines from Aug 19-25th. We were joined by the following production team members:
Director: Amy Stinton, Choreographer: Rose Roberts, Producer and Production Manager: Tom Beazley, Musical Director: Falk Meier
- Edinburgh University Footlights have performed Sunday in the Park with George and Company in recent years. What drew you to choose Pippin for your Fringe production this year?
Amy Stinton: I pitched Pippin to the group. One of my first shows was a cabaret-style production that I loved because of the creative freedom. Falk and I did it together, and it was a blast. As a director, I saw everyone in peak creative mode. For my first Fringe, I wanted to recapture that feeling of complete creativity. While researching shows, I rediscovered Pippin. I’d heard of it before and loved the music. Looking into it more, I appreciated how it’s all about creativity, storytelling, and the love of theatre. The music and dance are amazing, and there’s so much flexibility with it. The 2013 revival was set in a circus, which we’re not doing, but even without those elements, you can do whatever you want. When we started discussing it, we were all excited by the possibilities. I think that was key – it’s such a creative and collaborative piece.
- Pippin premiered on Broadway in 1972. What unique interpretation or vision are you bringing to this production of Pippin?
Amy Stinton: The original Pippin is quite different from the 2013 revival, which is probably more familiar to people our age. The original was more pieced together, with various moving parts but no clear theme – it was theatre at its core. The 2013 version was distinctly circus-themed, with acrobats and amazing tricks. Given our limited Fringe space, we wanted something more intimate, closer to the original. We’ve drawn inspiration from 1970s traveling theatres, which were politically charged and pushed for creative innovation. We’re leaning into that by being creative, pushing storytelling boundaries, and embracing a make-do-and-mend feel. Everything around the stage is interconnected, and the costumes look purposefully handmade and unique, not just thrown together.
Tom Beazley: The original Pippin was really ahead of its time. It was the first musical to have a trailer, which is cool to look at now. Audiences might think it was written much later because it’s so meta-theatrical and still relevant. It touches on the monarchy, religious war, and other issues that are very much in the zeitgeist right now. It feels like such a modern musical, despite being written so long ago.
- Pippin is an exploration of life through different soundscapes, vignettes, and musical or genre styles. Each chapter of Pippin’s self-discovery has a different tone and texture. How are you going to navigate these shifts in mood and atmosphere?
Falk Meier: The variety of music in Pippin is particularly striking. While it incorporates contemporary 70s rock elements and clean piano, it also features Fosse-style intricate jazz. The score uses synthesizers, which were popular in jazz scores of the 60s and 70s. The music reflects Pippin’s journey through a crazy storyline. There are sensual moments, rocky and dancy parts, a brutal war section, sweet loving moments, and brash arrogant bits. All these moods are mirrored in the music and choreography. By the end, without giving too many spoilers, the music simplifies as Pippin discovers what’s important to him. The score evolves with Pippin’s character, from complex and varied to something more focused and meaningful.
Rose Roberts: At first listen, the music might seem very varied. But when you’re choreographing, listening on repeat with headphones, you notice so many subtle motifs throughout Pippin’s journey. They’ve taken certain moments and played with them throughout the show. This makes it easier to link different parts, especially choreographically. You can reference earlier movements, emphasizing that it’s still Pippin, even as he develops and changes.
- The music and lyrics for Pippin are written by the incredible Stephen Schwartz. How have you approached the choreography and musical arrangements for this production?
Rose Roberts: Pippin was originally choreographed by Fosse, another huge name. When approaching work by such big creatives, you must accept that you’re not them. I faced a similar challenge last year choreographing A Chorus Line. It’s about digging into what makes the show important and which bits really resonate with people. For example, The Manson Trio is iconic Fosse choreography. So, we might preserve that, maybe with our own twist, but keep the style. Then you can identify elements where you can do your own thing. It’s a balance between respecting what’s there and knowing where that acknowledgment ends, so you can have your own creative fun. If you just do a carbon copy, you won’t enjoy it creatively.
Amy Stinton: Throughout all the dance numbers, with our variety of creatives, we’re trying to tell the story in as many ways as possible. We’ve played around with different dance styles, which is exciting. It means everything feels new and different, but it all flows nicely together, weaving in those core motifs that define the show.
Falk Meier: With traveling cart performance, they could do anything – tap, Fosse, all sorts of styles – which is crazy. As a musical director with a classical background, I love analysing the score’s intentions. Why is there a crescendo here? What I’ve found particularly with Pippin and is reminiscent of other musicals I’ve done like A Chorus Line or Jesus Christ Superstar, is that the lyric writing is gorgeous and intentional. The use of consonance, long vowel sounds, and endings is deliberate. Some phrases have more t’s and fricatives, others are smoother. It’s all very purposeful. We’re getting the cast to understand the meaning behind the lyrics and why they’re written in a certain way. In group numbers, we explore why harmonies go in specific directions, ensuring everyone understands the same thing and how it comes across to the audience. It’s about performing this amazing music as best as possible. This extends to the band too. I’ve been looking at the band books, and they’re surprisingly dense. I shouldn’t have been surprised given the wonderful orchestration, but it’s something I’ll be nit-picky about.
- Magic to Do is the opening song of Pippin. How are you going to balance the show’s more intimate moments with its larger spectacle elements?
Amy Stinton: At its core, Pippin is about characters, especially Pippin himself who drives the entire show. We’re lucky to have Dan Bryant playing Pippin. He has that youthful quality so crucial to the character, as it’s really a coming-of-age story. As you follow Pippin, you experience these ebbs and flows with him. There are lovely, intimate moments, particularly with Katherine, played by Allison Lavercombe. These scenes flow nicely, feeling separate from the main spectacle. Pippin is drawn in and out of these huge spectacles, but interestingly, the ensemble is constantly present. Even in intimate moments, they’re there. So, when they become more prominent later, it’s not jarring. They’ve been creating that intimate atmosphere and then transition into more energetic spectacles, be it a big singing number or an exciting dance routine. It’s lovely how it flows back and forth. You just follow Pippin, and with the music, you really feel it.
Rose Roberts: It really helps that we have the Leading Player character, played by Gemima Iseka-Bekano. She guides Pippin from place to place, moment to moment, keeping the show moving. It’s a very fluid production that never falls stagnant because the Leading Player is there to keep it going.
Amy Stinton: Even during intimate moments in the show, it’s not like they end abruptly. The Leading Player always comes in before a moment ends, pulling you into the next one. This keeps the energy going and the story flowing smoothly.
- Are there any particular scenes or musical numbers you’re especially excited for audiences to experience?
Falk Meier: Morning Glow comes halfway through the show, after Pippin has done something terrible. He’s trying to find his way out, and the Leading Player is helping him. The Leading Player guides Pippin’s journey and leads the other players, pushing Pippin where they want him to go. In Morning Glow, you really see this dynamic. They’re driving him, and then Pippin starts to see what’s coming. Musically, it’s a wonderful moment.
Amy Stinton: Morning Glow is just so lovely. When they sang it the other day, it gave me genuine chills. It’s such a high point of the show. Despite the darker moments, it’s incredibly hopeful. I hope that anyone having a bad day will experience this “everything is possible” feeling or sense of triumph at the end of Act 1.
Tom Beazley: Our cast is fantastic – 17 incredibly talented people. In moments like Morning Glow, you feel them all come together, and it really hits you. Especially when Falk is teaching inside the room, it’s something truly special.
Amy Stinton: I think Magic to Do is also a high point for me. The music is great, but the choreography is just amazing too. It’s the opening number, so it must be good – that’s the rule, right? And Magic to Do is the perfect opening number. It just pulls you in. Everyone’s there, and it’s such high energy. It builds so beautifully. We’ve got this great bit of choreography which is so quick, and you can feel the electricity of the whole cast. It’s really fun.
Rose Roberts: I think there are also two different numbers in the show where everyone is doing their own thing. We’ve got Glory and With You, and it’s an opportunity for every single person in the cast to shine doing their own thing. The audience can choose to look wherever they want. We’re not trying to draw your eye to a particular point; we want audience members to choose who they want to focus on. And if they’re like me, who’s going to be watching every night in the audience, they can watch a different part every day instead of watching the same thing. So, I’m excited to get those two numbers on stage.
Tom Beazley: On the Right Track as well.
Amy Stinton: There’s just too much talent! They were singing On the Right Track the other day, and we haven’t stopped singing it since.
- Have you faced any challenges during the rehearsal process so far?
Tom Beazley: I think it’s always hard at Fringe because it’s a very difficult thing. You’ve got quite a short space of time, and we’re a very big team, a very big group of people working on the show. It’s very rare for this to be someone’s sole project. The cast are talented; they’re being pulled in different directions. That could have been a big issue, but we get commitment from everyone. They’re all giving it their all, and even if they’re saying, “For this two-hour slot I need to leave early,” the hour and a half they’re there, we’re getting full energy. So, it’s making our jobs very easy because we’ve got the same drive. We care about it, the cast all care about it. That level of dedication and professionalism for a cast of students is rare but very much appreciated.
Rose Roberts: Especially a cast of students who are all going through their graduations. There’s so much going on, a lot of emotions, everything is happening for them, and they’re still dedicated to showing up with all of themselves.
Falk Meier: It’s nice because a lot of the shows we do are during term time. During the Fringe, everyone is a bit more relaxed. We come to rehearsals, check in with people, and then we’re into it. Everyone has this rhythm and schedule, and we can all sleep a bit longer. Even with the limited time we have, it has felt much more relaxed because we have this chunk of time and come in prepared and do our thing.
Tom Beazley: We’re blocking the show in three weeks and then polishing for four. By the time Pippin starts, it’ll be my sixth show at the venue Paradise St Augustine’s. The three of us (Falk, Rose, and I) have all worked there before quite a few times, so we’ve got a good grounding of the expectations going in. I’d like to think we’re pushing the boundaries of what we can do at the Fringe because we’ve got a good understanding of what’s required and know the space, especially since doing A Chorus Line.
- How are the audience brought into what is happening onstage?
Amy Stinton: There’s a lot of audience participation. They are spoken to, there’s no fourth wall. The whole thing is about performing out, so the Leading Player and all the players, as well as Pippin, are constantly talking to the audience. If you’re coming to watch, be prepared to be stared at!
Rose Roberts: A lot of my choreography is like, and now we have eight counts to stare a member of the audience down.
Amy Stinton: The whole thing is about telling a story and trying to captivate them. We want them to love it so much that they’re really going to be pulled in by these characters. The Leading Player especially basically addresses the audience for the whole show because she’s the narrator. There are also other moments of audience participation. There’s some singing – I won’t tell you which bit, but it’s in there! Hopefully, it’ll bring up the energy of the audience and help them have a good time.
- Pippin is a coming-of-age musical that explores one man’s journey to find his purpose and place in life. What do you think makes your production of Pippin relevant to modern audiences?
Amy Stinton: The special thing about doing Pippin with such a young group of people, which I love, is it’s relevant to everyone in the room, including all of us. It’s about finding yourself, finding what you want in life. Obviously, I can’t speak too much from experience because I’m only 21, but I think that message never stops, no matter how old you are. You’ll always be questioning your place in the world, your purpose in life. The world can be overwhelming, and sometimes you just need to focus on what’s important to you. Pippin has such a strong message of family and love which is so lovely. Pippin gets so overwhelmed by things like trying to find glory and trying to find fame and fortune, when what’s really important to him is the simple life – just having family and people that he loves, and spending time with them. It’s such an important thing to remember as you’re finding your own way in the world. Especially as university students, trying to find yourself and what you’re going to do in the future, it’s just remembering not to get too overwhelmed by it. Try to remember that at the end of the day, staying true to yourself and staying true to the people you love is the most important thing in life.
Tom Beazley: There’s a great number sung by the character Berthe, who is portrayed by Orly Benn. It’s all about living and enjoying living, and not getting bogged down in exactly what Amy was talking about. Berthe’s a grandmother and the message is as relevant to her as it is for Pippin, the audience watching, and all of us working on it. It has a good message.
- Does Pippin get his perfect ending? Does he truly find the thing he is looking for?
Falk Meier: Yes.
Rose Roberts: Yeah
Amy Stinton: At the end, it’s hinted that Theo will become the next Pippin. It sounds meta, but it’s suggested that Theo will start his own journey, becoming the new person trying to find his way in the world. The focus shifts from whether Pippin finds his perfect ending to how the cycle of self-discovery never stops – it just continues. Pippin’s actual ending is perhaps better than what The Leading Player has planned for him.
- Pippin is about the love of storytelling, and I was wondering if the same is at the core of Edinburgh University Footlights and why you have been telling great stories through the medium of musicals since you were founded in 1989?
Tom Beazley: I think what must be said is that the four of us are very close friends, and the reason for that is Footlights and our sister society, Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group (EUSOG). It seems like everyone’s best friends are made during these shows as they graduate and move on from Footlights. It brings people together in a way unlike anything else, and anyone who has done theatre kind of gets that closeness in some form or another. As we were talking about with regard to Pippin, as you’re growing up and finding your place in the world, it’s important to have people around you who are going to support you. I think these shows give you that support and community. Coming into shows with that energy and closeness allows you to create something really good because it allows you to take chances. You trust the people around you, and from that comes excellent working relationships. Whether that’s between the cast members or the production team, band, musicians, technicians, designers – you can work together with a single vision and make something that is really strong.
Falk Meier: None of us study theatre. All the student societies are the same in that we came to Edinburgh to study our degrees, but there’s this great opportunity to make some memorable experiences. We have gained some unbelievable skills that would be hard to gain otherwise. We’ve made incredible friends, had a positive impact on the people around us, and learnt to do something we’ve found we love. I mean, I’m going to study music for a year, essentially Musical Direction. There are a couple of people who have gone through this process and do it professionally now – producers, directors – who didn’t study it academically but have still gone on to achieve that.
Rose Roberts: I did a Maths degree and now I choreograph.
Tom Beazley: It’s also nice because, for that reason, everyone is on an even footing. I think in some places where there are specific theatre degrees, you get people who study theatre and people who just do it for fun. Whereas the nice thing about Footlights is that everyone is doing it because they want to do it, and everyone’s on an even footing. It just creates that nice level playing field.
- Ideally, what do you want audiences to take away from your production of Pippin?
Amy Stinton: The final feeling of Pippin is one of mystery and intrigue. We have a joke when asked about what Pippin is about because we all look at each other and sort of signal “where to begin?” It’s a show within a show, it’s about storytelling, and there’s a lot of character work because at its core, it’s about Pippin and what he does. I hope the audience will come away with a sense of relief for Pippin, that they’ve followed this story and seen this character prevail with a good ending. In that moment when the show ends, Pippin is content, and hopefully audience members will be inspired by that or feel a sense of hope when it comes to this journey of self-discovery. They’ll see it can come to a content and hopeful ending, and that Pippin makes a brave choice to go with his gut.
Rose Roberts: Pippin is one of those shows where you know you’ve done it well if the audience leaves not quite knowing how they feel.
Amy Stinton: It should end with a questioning of what’s going to happen next. Obviously, overall, we just want them to be entertained. There are so many exciting moments in the show, it’s funny, and the script is hilarious. Hopefully they’ll come away with a joyful, hopeful, and full-of-life feeling.
Rose Roberts: Joie de vivre!
Amy Stinton: Exactly.
- Do you have any favourite lines from the show?
Falk Meier: I was working with Dan, our Pippin, on Corner of the Sky, which is his wide-eyed “Oh, I don’t know what I want to do with my life, I have to find belonging” moment. What I asked him to centre the song around is this line: “And don’t you see, I want my life to be something more than long.” I wanted him to frame the entire song essentially around that. I mean, my favourite quote from Blade Runner is “The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long,” and that echoes the sentiment of the song – you don’t want your life to just be long and boring; you want to do something with it, and you want to find your purpose in something.
- Finally, how would you sum up the show in three words?
All: Intriguing, dynamic, and rule-breaking.