Palm Springs, CA
From the opening act to the Big Anti-finale, the show not only captured my attention, but held on to it—for dear laughter. I felt like I was in one of the small off-broadway venues, where the level of professionals is exceptional, and the review and performance sometimes takes it to that next level. On to the big stage. And from the opening act, it was a ride worth taking.
This performance is everything you would expect. The great assembly of all of the actors, designers, directors, and theater artist director and staff, put on an exceptional performance. And “it takes a theater” to pull off this level of production. The Director & Choreographer, Nathan Wilson, lead / player/narrator, illustrated what professionals, creativity and theatrical understanding is all about, It shows from the very first opening scene.
And the cast, Bruno Satalino, Billy L’Amour, Donald Kelley, Meagan Lawson, Sonia Reavis, Chris Carranza, Ari Rand, Brent Aronowitz, Gioia Mia Cali, Imani De Leon, Billy Franco, Anthony Nannini, Zelaya Divina Sanchez, and Chuck Perry (Music Director), brought the cast of characters to life. Act after act was a pleasure to watch,
And then, just when you think you know what kind of night you’re having, your not just invited but shamed into a karaoke style sing along. With bouncing balls and lyrics to match, so everyone had a chance to be involved in the fun. And for those that have poor eyesight, you can’t miss that. The big screen at the back of the stage, ensures that.
If course it also doubled as the background for the scenes. Effective choice on a small stage, in unsuspecting ways. and if you can sing, it made for one of the most memorable scenes. (I’m not allowed to sing in public, it’s against the law, and ears of the surrounding audience).
Back to the sing-a-long. If you are from the Coachella valley you may know this already. There are more vocalists, gay or otherwise per capita than anywhere else in the world. (I had Frank, my Chat researcher, verify that and according to “He/Him//I want to be a real boy”, verified that, as completely factual. With a 60% chance of accuracy.)
That made for an audience that was engaged. If you expected for this to be sit back and relax, night out, you may be surprised. This is audience participation at its best. My only suggestion, or maybe wish, is that they give out “Smell-O-Rama” cards to go with it. But then, it would start to smell and feel like Disneyland. But to be clear, this is no Disneyland production.
There are other memorable moments. That big screen in the back was used effectively to set the stage. Included in the production were visual moments that land right where they’re supposed to. It worked very well for the love scene. Ribbons of red, on a white background, are in constant motion, creating moving shapes, get this. Hearts. There was nothing more simple to set the scene, to create a simple reminder, intentional or otherwise, as a reminder of Valentines day. (The open day is 2-14). I’m sure that won’t be missed by other members of the audience. What a treat for romantics.
One moment that stays with me—because it hit that high pitch that is hard to forget—it’s this. The karaoke style scene was the one scene that I can remember the most and it is the scene where Berthe, played by Sonia Reavis, with that exceptional voice, range and depth: just doesn’t command the stage. She owns it and the audience along with it. It was sheer pleasure and joy to see her performance.
As the grandmother, she is trying to convince her grandson, Pippin, with a song of course, that “Why So Serious” is not the way to go. She takes every bit of the script, score and stage, and just runs with it. And she, like the pied piper, commands the audience to run right along with her.
That just happens to be one of my favorite scenes, and in no way diminishes the performances of all of the other artists in the production. It merely emphasizes the impact it had on me. I’m sure that everyone in the audience will have their own personal favorite, simply, because there are so many great performances to choose from. .
And that brings me to the bigger reason this kind of night matters. This performance and production, invited whole heartily for the audience to become engaged. Extremely entertained. In this day and age, we really do need a break from the distraction from the world around us. And that is the point, because the arts are the way forward, and supporting them in every way possible. Well that is our way into the future.Because, nothing gets done without the creative class. Nothing.
And that’s also why this place—and this valley—matters more than people realize. The Coachella Valley isn’t just a beautiful place to live or visit. It’s a place where the arts actually happen. The level of talent and production you’d expect in Chicago, New York, or LA shows up right here—on our stages, in our galleries, and in our concert venues. That’s to our benefit. We don’t have to go there, because so much of the artistic talent comes here. And because artists can work here—perform here, exhibit here, build something here—our community gets to experience the real thing, up close. So if you’re local, go. If you’re visiting, make it part of your trip. Show up, support it, and let it remind you what live art feels like. That makes all the difference.
And that’s also why this place, and this valley, matters more than people realize. But that’s the advantage of living in the Coachella Valley, where the level of the arts often reaches the opportunity and availability, and the level of production, of the big cities, like Chicago, New York or LA. That’s all to our benefit. We don’t have to go there, because so much of the artistic talents come here. This is a great place to live, or visit. This is where they get a chance to be on stage, in the galleries, or concert venues.
And that makes all the difference. So come be part of it. Bring a friend. Buy the ticket. Take a night out. Let the arts do what they do best—connect us, lift us, and remind us we’re alive.
About Pippin
The Revolution Stage Company Mission
To produce high-quality, and affordable entertainment, that elevates theatre production standards and builds audiences who appreciate live theatre across Coachella Valley
Run Date: Feb 13 – March 1, 2026
Verify all Times and Dates, by going to Buy Tickets Now
Location: 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92264
Phone: (760) 318-4115
The Revolution Stage Company.com/
About Pippin: Pippin is a 1972 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. It originally opened on October 23, 1972, on Broadway, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, and went on to run for 1,944 performances. It also won five Tony Awards in its original Broadway run—one of those being Best Actor in a Musical for Ben Vereen as the Leading Player.