By Olivia Almeida, Staff Writer

Students in the Queen’s Court Company worked throughout the winter to bring the spring musical, “Pippin,” to life. “Pippin” opened on Thursday, March 14 at Brookdale Community College’s Performing Arts Center and continued on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16.

Julian L. and junior Madeline H. act as Pippin and Theo on March 15 at Brookdale Community College. (Photo by Isabella Giallanza)

The play follows King Charlemagne’s son, Pippin, through his sole purpose: to find the meaning of his life. As the plot thickens, Pippin reaches the climax of his life in which he has to make very difficult decisions concerning his life or his death. During the second half of the show, it becomes very apparent that Pippin has schizophrenia. Everything in the play is simply happening in his imagination. As a result, the show becomes more about Pippin overcoming his very literal inner demons.

Junior Shantal Ferrer acted in the show and said the larger-than-life plot made it an enjoyable show to be a part of. “There were a lot of crazy scenes involved, which made it very fun,” she said.

Those who went to the show were impressed not only by the acting, but also by the set, costume and design. “It was extremely lively,” junior Hailey Scarantino said. “The show stole my breath away…I was amazed by the costumes and the play came together.”

The set played an integral role in the show being able to come together. As the show progresses, the bright colors of red, gold and black become very important.

Senior Anna P. (center) and other cast members incorporated extensive choreography in Trinity Hall’s production of “Pippin” on March 15 at Brookdale Community College. (Photo by Isabella Giallanza)

The cast and crew encountered a challenge in putting on “Pippin” because it was the first musical production the Queen’s Court Company had staged at Brookdale Community College. “We weren’t exactly the biggest cast, and since we were at a new theater, the theater was very big and the stage was bigger than what we normally had in previous shows, so we really had to learn to fill up the space,” Ferrer said.

All of those involved in the production, whether backstage working on sets, makeup, hair, costumes or music, or acting on stage to bring the story to life, worked hard for months to share their vision and make the show as perfect as possible.

“Pippin exceeded all of my expectations and was the first [show] we had everything perfectly in place,” director Ellen Phillips said.