HAYDEN MANGUM (center) as Pippin with Mary Desmond as Catherine (Ron Lyon photo).

By Thom deMartino /Orange County Tribune

From the stygian shadows of the wings, the players creep into the unyielding glare of the stage lights, playing there among the bare, skeletal set: beginning to drift, rhythmically… an interplay of corsets and skin; of leather, muscle, movement.

And there above it all, the enigmatic Leading Player (Nicole Cassesso), promising you – yes, you, viewer — a show the likes of which you’ve never seen before! With a climactic, thunderous finale — one you’re guaranteed to  remember for the rest of your life!

And you might just, at that.

Director Damien Lorton and One More Productions have opened the Gem Theater’s new season with a provocative, visionary new rendition of the Broadway classic “Pippin”: with the Leading Player and cast engaging the audience itself, as they stage the fictionalized tale of Pippin (Hayden Mangum), eldest son of King Charlemagne (Tim Klega), as he seeks to find meaning and fulfillment — a life of value.

Having distinguished himself as “Scholar of the House” at university, the strapping lad has returned home to his father – but also to his beguiling stepmother Fastrada (Nickie Gentry) and her ambitious plans for her own son, his dullard half-brother Lewis (a lovably goofy Hector Daniel Diaz).

But while Pippin may be eager to serve in his father’s ongoing campaigns, his sibling is already well-versed in battle; and the book-smart student is all-too-naive when it comes to the ways of warfare — soon discovering its agonizing cost.

Having returned home from battle and bloodshed, the disillusioned young prince sojourns in the countryside with his vivacious, hedonistic grandmother, Berthe (Beth Hansen), who wryly counsels him to drink deep the world’s indulgences, since life passes by “in no time at all.”

Yet this, too, soon leaves him hollow, unfulfilled; as he reaches yet another dead end in his search for meaning.

As he grows increasingly desperate, how can this pilgrim quench his thirst for significance? Can he uncover his own glorious purpose… before the cast and Leading Player stage their inescapable, unforgettable finale?

While a minimalist set serves as the backdrop for the show, it also highlights the Gem’s phenomenal musicians, led by Nick Bravo, performing behind the action; but the true beauty in this production is found in the physicality of the players themselves — combining spellbinding movement, style, grace and power.

Cassesso’s Leading Player absolutely dominates every moment she glides, struts and strides across the stage… except, perhaps, for one or two very consequential ones.

The spellbinding dance performances are a visual feast: viewers will find themselves mesmerized by the fluidic grace of the Leading Player, Gentry’s  electric Fastrada, and the mercurial players as a whole.

Breathtaking choreography — the work of Angela Mattern, Nicki Snelson, Lexi Cross, and Lorton himself — is on display herein, manifested through a number of OMP’s best, including Taylor Danehower, Erik Diaz, Kara Dillard,  Edvan Galvan, Courtney Hays, Julia Iacopetti, Mattern, Nate Nolen and Matthew Rangel.

While essentially absent in the first half, Mary Desmond’s widow Catherine is a powerful, compassionate presence in the second, and an absolute force with her performance of “I Guess I’ll Miss the Man”. There’s also a charming new addition to the cast in the form of Niles Gray, playing Catherine’s young son Theo.

And then there’s Hayden.

His considerable vocal talents aside, with each iteration of a character — every production he takes part in — Mangum brings a gentleness, a kindness, a deeper empathy to his role. “Pippin” is no exception, as we see the compassionate prince’s desperate struggle to discover true fulfillment in life, accompanying him on his journey through both the passionate highs and existential depths of the human condition… and ultimately illustrating where we, too, may find some modicum of peace and contentment in our own lives.

A fourth-wall breaking, melodious meditation on nothing less than what it means to live your best, most fulfilling life, Damien Lorton’s “Pippin” is a stunning and ambitious new interpretation of a beloved Broadway staple, and an absolute meta must-see from Garden Grove’s Gem Theater this season.

“Pippin”, Hayden Mangum, Nicole Cassesso and Mary Desmond star in this striking rendition of a classic tale of self-discovery and meaning. Playing through  March 31 at The Gem Theater 12852 Main Street, Garden Grove, CA, 92840. Call 714-741-9550 x221 or email boxoffice@onemoreproductions.com for ticketing  information.