groggyWhen I was feeling a bit better, I did manage to watch a Pippin video that I had been meaning to watch since I saw the production at the Taper earlier in the month. I'd never seen any version of the show before so I wanted to see how the addition of sign language and the "additional" Pippin affected the show.
I actually really think it worked better with the two Pippins... for this reason only. There's a lot of inner conflict that Pippin has throughout the show - especially before the finale - to have a second Pippin voice those conflicts, fears, etc. seemed so much more effective to me than watching Pippin alone trying to deal with it all in his own head. I LOVED that Ty's Pippin wanted "such a little thing from life" and how Michael's Pippin wanted "so much..." When it came to the finale, it was Michael's Pippin that convinced Ty to initially go through with it. LOVED the Taper production when Ty starts to leave, thinking the idea was insane and Michael stops him with a "Wait a minute!" I do believe in that moment, no one else, not even the leading player could talk Pippin into doing something like this the way only his other half could.
I also loved how Michael was stripped away from Ty at the end... leaving him bare and alone with his feelings for Catherine... which I think was a nice contrast to when they first kissed. I mentioned before how much I loved the look on Michael's face when he turned around to find Ty's Pippin and Catherine kissing... There was a look of loneliness that I couldn't quite explain, but it broke my heart each time. This, I think, sets up the finale, and why Michael can't understand why Ty would give up the finale when he sees Catherine and Theo... Which, to me, makes more sense than Pippin just having some great epiphany at the end in the face of danger.
For all of these reasons, I really believe the concept of having two Pippins works extremely really well in the Taper production... but, then again, it could just be my high fever talking. ;)