Brayden Bambino stars as Pippin, son of Charlemagne, who struggles to find his own path in Signature Theatre’s production of the 1972 Stephen Schwartz musical. Directed by Matthew Gardiner, 'Pippin' is on stage through July 26. Photo by Daniel Rader

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In Signature Theatre’s current production of Pippin, the actors are so near that you can feel a breeze when they execute their death-defying choreography.

Directed by Matthew Gardiner, Signature’s lauded artistic director, and choreographed by Rachel Leigh Dolan, the Tony Award-winning musical takes on a magical intimacy.

The 1972 Broadway musical Pippin is a medieval play within a medieval play, with a distinctly contemporary twist. Lead Player (Cedric Neal) escorts the audience as young Pippin (Brayden Bambino), the eldest son of Charlemagne, seeks a path to a meaningful life.

Neal, a semifinalist in “The Voice UK,” is no disinterested emcee. Confident and experienced, he exhibits control in his movements and his exultant, dexterous voice.

Like any prince feeling his oats, Pippin struggles against a father and ruler, Charlemagne (Eric Hissom). Cynical and complacent, Charlemagne relies on his dumb but buff younger son, Lewis (Ryan Sellers), to fight battles. He expects his voluptuous, ambitious wife (Maria Rizzo) to guide their son and warm their bed. She delivers her classic lyric, “I’m just an ordinary housewife and mother,” with a side of va-voom.

The young prince finds wisdom that he’s not yet seasoned enough to accept in his grandmother Berthe, played by award-winning local favorite Naomi Jacobson. Although she has retreated to the country to defuse tension with her daughter-in-law, Berthe is not sitting on any tuffets. A woman alive to life’s sensual pleasures, she urges Pippin to partake of them.

Interestingly, two of the main characters are not introduced until the second act, when Pippin meets the adorable Theo (Ellison Bihm) with his equally adorable (puppet) duck, and his mother, Catherine (Awa Sal Secka), who is running a manor.

Are they the real life that can ground Pippin? Secka plays the widow as sensible and spunky, whether she’s battling Pippin’s apathy or the Lead Player’s demands that she stick to the script. And she’s well-equipped in this fight with her compelling, angelic voice. Let’s just say that in the vocal arena, Theo proves himself to be her child.

Energetic cast, intimate setting

The multi-talented players — Alanna Sibrián, Jacob Taylor Starks, Emily Steinhardt, Hank von Kolnitz, Georgia Monroe, Candice Hatakeyama, Calvin L’mont Cooper and Ben Bogen — accompany Pippin in his explorations of war, sex and general mayhem. With their acting, singing and dancing, they bring a vivid and burlesque energy to every scene.

It is rare that you get to see the details of actors’ costumes up close, but in Signature’s theater, The Max, we can see Costume Designer Erik Teague’s sharp-beaked masks, creamy lace and opulent tapestry, creating a medieval aura.

The audience is drawn into the action, too. We are invited to sing one song as tissue-paper leaves float down from above. The musicians, led by conductor and music director Jon Kalbfleisch, add to the sense of being enveloped in the performance.

If there’s any downside to this dynamic, entertaining and sleek production, it’s that three verses are more than some songs need, even if their writer, Stephen Schwartz, also penned the songs in Wicked and Godspell.

Signature Theatre is located at 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA. Free parking is available at any of the six public lots in downtown Shirlington.

Correction: Due to an editing error, the print version of this review stated that this production is set in The Ark, Signature’s 120-person theater. In fact, the show is in The Max theater, Signature’s 299-person main venue.