Choreographer Catrina Contini considers the musical “Pippin” the soundtrack to her high school years. Working in theater with the production would be a dream.
Contini’s dream has been realized thanks to a choreography job with Peoria’s Arizona Broadway Theatre, where “Pippin” will be staged through Nov. 8. Contini is part of an all-female creative team.
“I used to have the CD of ‘Pippin’ in my car, and I would play it when I was learning how to drive,” she said with a laugh. “My friends and I would sing along to all the songs.”
She saw a touring production when she was 15 — and she never forgot about it.
“It’s incredible,” she said. “To be able to make my debut as choreographer at Arizona Broadway on ‘Pippin,’ it’s literally a dream come true.”
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Stephen Schwartz (“Wicked”) wrote the score for the Tony Award-winning show that follows a young prince determined to find his purpose and experience life to the fullest.
“We follow him through his journey of trying to find his purpose,” Contini said. “I think that’s really relatable for audiences, especially performers, to witness and to watch this. Toward the end, we ask, ‘What is our purpose?’ We find out that, by following him through many magical, extravagant things, it comes down to a spectacle. The whole show is like an explosion.”
The all-female crew also includes Lynzee Foreman, who is directing her first mainstage production at Arizona Broadway Theatre; Renee Koher, aerial and circus arts choreographer and Morgan Andersen, costume designer.
“It’s really rare that you get a cast this diversely talented,” she said. “We literally have circus performers who are incredible singers and incredible dancers. So, they’re incredible in the air, and they’re incredible on the ground.”
Koher, who graduated from circus school in Tokyo, has worked and performed in the aerial arts for almost 20 years.
“‘Pippin’ is a beautiful and heartfelt story that has something everyone can relate to,” Koher said. “At one point or another, we are all looking for a place to belong, a place where we feel comfortable and safe. I think Pippin’s coming-of-age story combined with the circus elements is very magical and poignant. Plus, I love any show that combines acrobatics and aerial arts elements with musical theater.”
Arizona Broadway Theatre’s cast contains many Valley favorites and a few new performers, including Matthew Richards Jr. as Pippin, James Rio as Charles, Sarah Morgan as Fastrada, Steven Martella as Lewis, Carolyn McPhee as Berthe, Marina Jarrette as Catherine and Jazmin Moehring as leading player.
Hunter Ball and Ryan Koch will share the role of Theo. Christopher Arellano, Robert Charles Avigdor, Spencer Bethers, Brittany Bonefas, Tara Charvat, Becca Lind, Jordan Linton, Caitlyn Savage, Adrianna Scheer, Troy Serena, Delaney Spanko and Gabe Yarborough round out the cast.
“There’s a reason ‘Pippin’ continues to resonate with audiences more than 50 years after it first opened on Broadway,” Foreman said. “The music is incredible, the storytelling is inventive, and the central question is timeless. We all want to know that our lives matter and find our ‘corner of the sky.’”
Contini, who grew up in Santa Cruz, California, started auditioning for Arizona Broadway Theatre when she moved to New York about three years ago. She has since been in “Tootsie;” worked as the associate choreographer for “The Cher Show” and now “Pippin.”
Contini now lives in Astoria, Queens, where she works as a year-round choreographer for a nonprofit and runs a children’s program there. Working with professionals and children has given her insight.
“It’s been so wonderful to expand my teaching because working with kids is so much different than working with professional dancers and actors. I think that’s why this has been so exciting.
“With kids, there are certain limitations, but with this, there are no limitations. The cast is very open to flipping upside down, jumping through here, swinging on this. It’s so exciting. I feel so blessed to have been trusted with this.”
