Embedded Files
For the first time in over a year, musical auditions were held at Masterman for this year’s musical: Pippin! On the first Monday of December, Ms. Neu was impressed by the quality of all the auditions, consisting of great monologues, song performances, and talent overall. Even the middle schoolers, who submitted their auditions online, were above expectations, which left Ms. Neu “laughing out loud, clapping, and with tears rolling down her face.” She was joined by our musical director of previous years, Devon Fields, as well as this year’s current director, 2009 Masterman alumni Allie Beik.
Why Pippin? What is it?
Like our new director, most of us have probably never heard of Pippin and are wondering why Ms. Neu would pick it as our musical this year instead of something more popular like last year’s virtual production of Annie or Willy Wonka from the year before. After years of pushing back recommendations, Ms. Neu decided to finally give Pippin a shot since it was one of the few musicals that the school would be able to broadcast live online without copyright restrictions. Due to COVID and families troubled over social distancing guidelines, she was very worried about not having full live audiences. However, by streaming the live musical online, it would be accessible to families at home who can’t attend in person (even though people coming in person would be much preferred). Along with that, Pippin fit a multitude of other criteria necessary for a typical Masterman musical; for example, it has a large cast and relies on orchestral music.
The main reason why Ms. Neu has been avoiding it for so long was due to the peculiar plot summary. Attempting her best to describe it in more understandable terms, “[it is] a show in a show.” Throughout Pippin, the main character, Pippin, oftentimes breaks the fourth wall, the invisible barrier separating the stage and performers from the audience, by having conversations and arguments with the director and producers. The play circulates around his journey searching for purpose in life. However, it’s confusing whether or not we’re watching actual moments in Pippin’s life or if he’s just another actor playing his role in the show. Essentially, Pippin experiences living as a scholar, war hero, king, and party animal, but finding satisfaction in none of them. At one point, when he finally starts to feel like he’s found his place in the world, he panics that he’s done nothing remarkable with his life. So, in order to give a more epic ending to the musical, he decides to jump into a flaming pit of fire. (One heck of a plot climax.) What becomes of Pippin after the musical? Well, I guess we’ll have to go see it to find out.
What Happened to Devon?!?
Unfortunately, just a week prior to the scheduled audition date, Devon was offered a professional engagement in a separate production, leaving him little time to commit to directing this year’s musical. Although the news was very sudden, Ms. Neu was anything but surprised:
“When you have a director that’s just so talented like Devon who’s such an amazing choreographer and dancer, it’s likely that they’re gonna get snatched up in a professional show.” - Ms. Neu.
After finding out on such short notice that Devon would be leaving, she went into a frenzy trying to figure out the best way to find another director in such a short amount of time. After deciding that a widespread director search wasn’t the best way to do it, she started thinking about Masterman alumni who enjoyed the musical during their school years.
One of the first people who came to her mind was Allie Beik, past head of Sweet 16, choir president, and a cast member in “Anything Goes,” her last musical at Masterman before graduating in 2009. Ms. Neu notes that she was “great on piano and an amazingly organized child,” ensuring things were specifically planned and coordinated. After graduating, Allie Beik attended NYU for music business and currently working in event planning, expanding from New York to Philly.
“See the overall vision of everything--that’s something a director needs to be able to do. I feel like I could maybe direct a scene but the thought of having a concept in your head of how the entire show is going to work (lighting, stage crew, etc.) and all the little pieces. I felt like if she was willing to do it, she could do it. When I asked her, she said she could, and I was so relieved!” - Ms. Neu
Devon has continued to show his support of the show, providing feedback during auditions and introducing Allie to everyone. It’s saddening that he won’t be joining us this year since Devon has been directing Masterman’s musical productions for the past few years, making connections and memorable moments for Masterman students throughout his time. Hopefully, this year’s show is in reliable hands.
When Will Stage Crew Be Coming Back?
After Stage Crew’s hiatus throughout November and with little need for them this December, many members are anxiously anticipating the next meeting— excited to get to work on building this year’s musical set. After back-to-back meeting cancellations throughout October (due to the high efficiency of work conduct, clearing the stage from the musical 2 years ago WAY ahead of time), many are left wondering: When will the stage crew finally be coming back?
At the earliest, we can probably expect stage crew to make a comeback around early January once our new director has had some time to familiarize herself with this year’s musical. Our previous director, Devon, was not any more familiar with the production which provided us with very few ideas or visions of what the play itself should look like. Currently, everyone is awaiting Director Allie Beik with high hopes for this year’s musical.
Page updated
Report abuse