This was the scene minutes after the Congress Youth Theatre’s opening night of Pippin came to a close on Wednesday.

Before you read another word, the show runs for two more nights- Friday 13 March to Saturday 14 March so there’s still time to get in and enjoy the show.

I call it the final scene of any show in the Congress Theatre and it’s one of my favourite bits of the night- cast members come from backstage to meet their family and friends with hugs, high fives and even bouquets of flowers.

Before leaving, I grabbed a seat in the corner of the room and quickly tried to make sense of the awful handwriting notes that I scribbled in the dark- and just enjoyed watching and listening to a room full of happy people

I thought I was late when I arrived at 7.12pm and took my seat at B3. The stage was open, no curtain, and I could spot some cast members lounging around the set, including a couple of pairs of legs through the stage haze at the far side. A black toilet door. A DJ booth. A booth with leather seats.

Nightclub

This is different. I may be 49 but I can still recognise a nightclub. This was the setting for the two acts where we saw our Pippins (yes, Pippins, there were three of them) go through life trying to find meaning and purpose.

It was a brilliant decision to have three young men in the role. Their slick movements in and around the stage as they performed with other cast members required serious concentration by all.

There were also three Leading Players- all female- who kept us informed and in on the story. It was great theatre by the trio who had us laughing with their mischievous insights and real-time commentary.

The choreography was spectacular. A scene where the male cast lay down on the stage and the female cast sat on them and ‘danced’ with their legs was funny, clever and one that must have led to some serious laughs during rehearsals.

The music. Somewhere hidden backstage, under the stage, I’ve got no idea where they were, was an orchestra- 12 secret musicians giving emotion and humour to Pippin’s story.

Buy a programme

Quick tip. Buy a programme and make sure you check out the back page and the words to the chorus of ‘Oh, it’s time to start livin’. Sat in B3, I couldn’t see the bottom half of the words displayed on the giant projector on the back wall of the ‘nightclub’ that was cleverly used through the show- so I mumbled along for those bits. Apologies to those sat in B2 and B4.

The rat! The poor young woman next to me shivered and tensed up each time this ‘cast member’ twitched its cute little arms on stage. It was very funny. I was later told that this scene is usually with a duck puppet. Props to the props team for the rat!

Pippin is a story that is a challenge for a young cast. The Congress Youth Theatre covered tough topics like war, politics and lust (the black toilet door came in handy for that scene 😉 ) with the perfect amount of sensitivity and humour. The use of a simple black blanket with some comic timing and facial expressions showed how simple theatre and great acting are the best.

The refusal by Pippin to take part in the Grand Finale saw the furious Leading Players strip back the lights, costumes, and music- and with it the illusion that Pippin had been living.

Our hedonistic nightclub setting became silent and hollow- I could even hear the theatre’s air conditioning- it was like kicking out time at Newport’s Ritzy’s back in the day when the music goes off, the main lights come on, and the smoke haze disappears.

Light sabres

I nearly forgot to mention the lighting and light sabres. A couple of scenes saw lighting used down the sides of the auditorium, bringing us even closer to the nightclub.

And everyone loves Star Wars- the part with the stage packed with light sabres and handheld twirling lights popping back and forth was a joy to watch.

Congress Youth Theatre’s cast and company vibrant take on Pippin was full of colour and confidence. All the best for your next three nights.

Outside the theatre, I spoke to Rachel Hamilton, the youth theatre’s director. She said: “I’m really pleased with it. It’s a very strange one, but it’s also a very beautiful show, and the kids worked very hard to get it across, you know, so I think sometimes it’s worth choosing something different. We’ve all seen the same old things all the time, and so it was a big ask, and you know, having the three boys play the main role and everything, I wondered, you know it had to be very sensitive with the staging etc.

“The second half is supposed to be a barn, so we kept it in the club. We all know what it’s like being in a club. I hoped that would be relatable to everybody, so I based it on a club down in Newport.

“I think Wayne [Beecham, musical director] did an incredible job at the harmonies, the end of act one was special.

“It was great. I mean, they had a standing ovation. I thought are we going to sell any tickets for this, and the audience, it was like a full house, and I felt that they were rewarded. They’re all under the age of 18, [aged] 13 to 18.

“It’s a big ask, and with them all being in the club at the side, they’ve got to keep the focus all the time and we ask a lot of them, and then I felt they were rewarded tonight.”

The Cast

Pippin- Harri Rhodes
Pippin- Charlie Burton
Pippin- Elliott Birchley
Leading Player- Ruby Davies
Leading Player- Lily Waite
Leading Player- Lois Languerand
Charles- Oliver Chesse
Fastrada- Ava Stratford-Davies
Lewis- Jacob Whitehead
Berthe- Jemima Searle
Catherine- Annabel Jones
Theo- Kalan Taylor

The Company

Aaron Wyper
Addison Hunter-Davies
Amy Powell
Billy Noyes
Caden Hughes
Caitlyn Williams
Darcy Rumble
Emmeline Regulski
Erin Harman
Eva Gibbs
Finlay Dunn
Finley Edwards
George Tavener
Grace Collins
Harry Dowsell
Harvey Davenne
Isaac Bustin
Katie Panter
Mollie Cadwallader
Nathaniel Bustin
Ollie Jones
Ryann Ratcliffe
Ruby Gregory
Seren Peake

The Orchestra

Musical Director/Keyboard – Wayne Beecham
Keyboards – Ian Kimber
Reed 1- Jenny Weir
Reed 2- Elizabeth Owens
Trumpet – Gethin Liddington
Trombone – Phil Jarvis
Guitar – Chris Fry
Violin – Carl Darby
Cello – Claudine Liddington
Bass – Lucie Phillips
Drums – Simon Brittlebank
Percussion – Hope Hollowell

Creative Team

Director / Coach – Rachel Hamilton
Musical Director – Wayne Beecham
Stage Manager – Bethanie Philpott
Costume Design -Meryl Herbert
Deputy Stage Manager – Emily Williams
Choreography – Bethanie Philpott / Rachel Hamilton
Dance Captain – Ava Stratford-Davies
Set Design – Chris House
Set Painter -Holly Withers (Pawb Arts)/ Emily Williams
Lighting Design – Matthew Hunt
Sound Design – Jon Morgan / Nathan Long
Props – Sue Emmings
Company Manager -Martyn Redwood
Marketing – Maisie Williams
Poster Design – Kayleigh Andrews
Photography – Ryan Nicklin / Liam Carr
Follow Spot Operators – Eve Perkins, Elys Sweet-Morgan, Rhys Hobin