While some kicked off their Halloweekend jumping from one party to the next, others gathered as the School of Dramatic Arts threw its own celebration of musical theatre talent in the Bing Theatre Friday.

With a book by Roger O. Hirson and music and lyrics by “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, “Pippin” tells the fictional account of a hopeful young man named Pippin, played by senior Colin Frothingham, born to royalty as the son of ruthless King Charlemagne, played by senior Sydney Goldstein, of the Frankish Kingdom, as he comes of age and struggles to discover what he can do to make his life more fulfilling.

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Once the lights dimmed, the audience was immediately transported from their seats in the Bing Theatre and immersed in the chaotic, yet lively world of Pippin, as they were met with an eccentric circus themed set and costumes from the brilliant minds of junior Maya Channer and senior Freddie Patrick, both pursuing a BFA in Theatrical Design.

“I looked at a lot of old circus pictures from the ’40s and also burlesque,” Patrick said. “It was really important that we had a lot of movement for dance, and just almost [embody] old Hollywood glamour too.”

The story is narrated by the confident and commanding Leading Player, played by senior Zoe Hosley. From the moment she entered, suspended in an explosion of glitter on a metal circus ring, she owned the stage. She sang to the audience in a show-stopping opening number to join her and the rest of the Players in the telling of Pippin’s tale. With the electric stage presence she radiated, how could the audience refuse?

While Hosley acted as the front-woman for the rest of the Players, the ensemble work put together by the cast was nothing short of remarkable.

“It was the attention to ensemble in detail for me every single show, no matter if they had all of the fanatics of set and costumes,” said Malika Dinan, a senior majoring in acting for the stage, screen and new media who was in the audience Friday. “They still found a way to bring the audience in with them and embody the true essence of whatever show that they were doing.”

This concept of audience interaction was tapped into consistently throughout the show. All of the characters were aware that they were vehicles through which the story was being told, allowing for several successfully timed comedic moments.

As Pippin embarked on his journey in search of self-fulfillment, the audience was introduced to an array of friends and foes that made the adventure engaging and worthwhile.

Senior Patrick McCormick demonstrated both his vocal and acting range as Pippin’s hot and bothered grandmother Berthe, singing to Pippin about stepping out of his comfort zone, and mid-song encourages the audience to clap and sing along with her as if they had their own part in helping the hero get what he wants.

Frothingham truly embodied the youthful and high-spirited energy of Pippin from his quickly paced movements across the stage to the smooth honey-like tenor of his voice. This was matched by the elegant yet down-to-earth demeanor of his love interest Catherine, played by senior Jordyn Holt, whose self-awareness has the power to turn the entire plot in over its head, much to the Leading Player’s dismay.

Halfway through the show, Pippin decided one way to achieve self-fulfillment was to overthrow his father and assume the throne for himself. While the audience roots for Pippin by default as the protagonist of the musical, one can’t help but feel attached to ill-intentioned characters like Pippin’s family.

Pippin’s father Charles, played by Goldstein; his zesty self-centered half-brother Lewis, played by junior Blake Ferris; and his deviously cunning stepmother Fastrada, played by senior Mackenzie O’Coyne, all delivered dynamic personalities that had the audience wishing they never left the stage.

However, when the actors weren’t playing individual characters, they seamlessly blended back into the energy of the entire ensemble, which made for unique and visually appealing stage pictures supplied by the direction and choreography of Dana Solimando.

Notable sections included a scene towards the beginning of the show depicting war and a farm scene showing countryside life in the latter half. Despite the chaotic nature of war, Solimando structured her direction in such a way that when the ensemble moved, though performing individual stunts such as fight choreography and acrobatics, they continued to move together as one unit.

Similarly, during the farm scene, Solimando made sure that not a single one of the Players was left out and made the creative decision to have the entire company participate as different facets of the farm from farm workers to chickens and pigs, which not only had comedic purpose, but also added an extra layer of life to the ensemble scenes.

“It’s a very close knit group and everybody in there seems that they can get along with one another,” said Charles Stevenson, a freshman majoring in stage management who was in the audience on Friday. ”I think the same can go for every show [SDA puts on].”

“Pippin” will continue to show at the Bing Theatre until Nov. 5.