There was one Pippin, however, whom I will never forget. His eerie grin is permanently printed in my mind's eye. He propelled the lives of every Pippin cast and crew member in unknown directions, forever changing Pippin's legacy.
Matthew had been cast alongside the other thirty or so Pippins that year. At first, he seemed no different from the others, quietly moving about when he wasn't on stage. It was at the end of April when I noticed some of his unusual qualities. Matthew smiled at me when we walked past each other. He sometimes talked to the other cast members, not just the other Pippins. He once looked my Papa in the eye and firmly shook his hand after an especially productive rehearsal.
Two weeks before opening night, I talked to Papa and Benjamin about Matthew.
"It's so strange," I told him. "I once saw him talking to Ashton between scenes. Was he like this during his audition?"
Benjamin shook his head, "We didn't see anything different when we first met him," he said, "but I doubt we have any reason to worry."
"We're going to have him perform in our second show," Papa added. "Everything's okay."
They were both so confident: no one would dare destroy their perfect show. However, everyone with blood on their hands eventually pays a price, whether they deserve it or not.