Winning & The message of Pippin

    ( On a different note from the rest of this post)Recently i have been very occupied with crew(i cox novice boys) and we have so far attended 3 regattas (crew races) and won at least one race in each of them. Basically, except for the novice 8 (which had 3 varsity in it) the novice team has gone undefeated so far this season. I, never having played in active role on a winning team, am very proud of these new found bragging rights (sadly using them would be "inappropriate"). Winning can become very addictive.
  
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        Pippin, a comedic yet meaningful musical, is all about Pippin's , the heir to his father's throne, search for fulfillment in life. From going to war to dabbling in arts, Pippin plays many roles unable to find fulfillment in any of them until he lets go of the idea of having to be extraordinary and accepts that to truly be free he must be tied down. While Pippins story ends,Theo, the son of the woman Pippin Marries, begins his story by singing the same song Pippin sings about finding his "corner of the sky".
   Many say it represents,essentially,  growing up. Starting with the young mind's idea of finding that one perfect thing to do in life, racing towards the destination before realizing it may be journey that is the most enjoyable, struggling with what to do, and eventually realizing he can find fulfillment and his "corner of the sky" by leading an ordinary life and marrying someone he loves.

     Throughout the musical there are "players" who seem to have his life planned like a play of sorts. He contradicts what is supposed to happen as the show goes on. In the players plan Pippin is supposed to take part in the "Finale", which involves stepping into a large flame. The "Finale" most likely represents the self-destruction that would result from the "Players" determination for him to do something grand with his life even if that meant ending it. They have been referred to as the part of everybody that always longs from something grandiose , but impossible to achieve(making one feel unfulfilled). However, if this is so, it is a part of oneself that may choose not to see reality clearly, believing it may actually achieve magic, because the "Players" all seem to expect that Pippin will be unable to devote himself to something so as to feel fulfilled and that he will inevitably choose the "Finale", perhaps not even realizing the consequences said "Finale" could bring. The "Players" also make it very clear that the life Pippin leads until the ending is a search for a fantasy life because the "Players" are all people committing to pretend-lives.
                                
      Maybe, part of what the  musical is trying to convey is that there is a fine line between seeing within the bounds of reality and accepting them and seeing an unrealistic world and committing to it. Not to say that it is bad to dream and that one should refrain themselves from longing for something better (as that is part of our nature), but that it is unideal to devote oneself to pursuit of something unreal, bypassing many things reality could offer while searching for it. In the end, Pippin chooses reality, when the Leading Player leaves, taking the ensemble, lights, costumes, and instruments with him because of Pippin's refusal to partake in the "Finale", signaling his acceptance "that not every day can be a perfect day" . The message becomes more universal when Theo begins to long for an extraordinary life as well, symbolizing the common trials of reality vs. fantasy that we all must face in order to grow up and if played well find fulfillment and perhaps success.

    The message does seem to say to accept reality ,but to me it also says to enjoy the ride and dont force yourself to grow up too fast either. Stephen Schwartz did say "I don't really like to tell people the "moral" of any of my shows; I think
each member of the audience should take from a show what he or she will. That being said, I think it's clear that Pippin talks about having to find a balance in one's life between idealism and ambition and finding a life one can commit to, even if it doesn't satisfy every longing or goal. One doesn't want to just settle for something and give up one's dreams and aspirations, but on the other hand, one doesn't want to chase something that is always endlessly just out of reach and wind up nowhere and with nothing. It's a choice each of us (in a relatively free, class‐less society anyway) has to deal with (or run away from) and find a way to reconcile."
While, eventually I will have to make the choice, why make it now?Pippin didn't just find happiness and settle It took him time and many paths to get to that part. I wouldn't say he found his fulfillment because that would imply that there was nothing left but there is still places to go from where he is.He has just reached a marking stone in the path signaling the end of youth and the start of adulthood.By giving himself away he became himself and that's great, but if he had done this instantaneously the play would of sucked and he would of missed out on a great part of life.Plus, how could he have truly made that choice by his own judgment and not because of the influence of others without knowing why he was making it. He had to make the choice willingly to end up as content as he did. Maybe, some of you guys are at that point and maybe others of you are just beginning to wish for all the magic, Me, I don't know and to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.