Black-clad members of the cast of “Pippin” creep onto the stage humming, twirling and entwining their hands in a gesture for the audiences’ eyes to follow.

The lead player sings, “Join us/Come and waste an hour or two/We’ve got magic to do/Just for you.”

And thus begins the journey through the life of Pippin, the oldest son of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King Charlemagne. Although Pippin’s experiences are retold inside the walls of the Studio Theatre in the Curry Student Center, the actors transport audience members to a place far away from Northeastern’s campus, a place filled with magic and intrigue.

Pippin is a young man searching for his “corner of the sky,” and believing he is destined for extraordinary things He relentlessly travels around trying different jobs and experiences — some stranger than others. In the duration of the first act, Pippin joins his father’s army, visits his self-concerned grandmother, has an orgy with fairy-like woodland creatures, murders his father and tries his hand at being king, albeit unsuccessful.

Throughout the play, Pippin is watched and encouraged by the “lead player” and 12 ensemble members, who are supposed to represent figments of his own imagination, pushing him towards becoming greater than average and eventually, to the consistently mentioned and much-anticipated “finale.”

Although many plays in the past have been interpreted for deaf community members using American Sign Language (ASL), director Del Lewis chose to have his actors share the spotlight with the ASL interpreters.

The interpreters, all ASL majors and members of the class of 2005, were each given one character to “shadow” and follow throughout their time on stage. The students not only used their hands to interpret the actors, but also their bodies and facial expressions, moving with the actors and reacting to what was going on around them, even when their character was not speaking.

The departure from the normal practice of having interpreters stay stationary on the side of the stage was a new experience for many of the cast members.

“The sign language majors have been absolutely incredible working with us, and their input to the show has been so important because we’ve been able to reach out to a completely different audience,” said Neen Certo, a sophomore who played the role of Berthe, Pippin’s grandmother, as well as acting in the ensemble. “[Lewis] was really insistent upon them being in every scene because he really wanted them to be as much a part of the show as the actors were.”

Sophomore Mike Satow, who played Lewis, Pippin’s stepbrother, said originally the cast was apprehensive about possible conflict and space concerns, but that everything fell into place once the two groups began working together.

“We were told before they came in that it was gonna be difficult, [and we were] going to have to be sharing a space [on stage] … we were ready for that,” Satow said. “But when they came we just fit together so well. Everyone was so understanding of the other side, it really worked out well and there was a great chemistry there.”

A light-hearted musical with songs that have endured through generations, Lewis took “Pippin” and made it darker and edgier, with the ensemble members dressed as skin-baring goths and inserting sexual undertones, themes and provocative dances throughout the production.

The “leading player,” portrayed by junior Sean Hopkins, oversees Pippin’s life and acts as a sort of mentor to the confused youngster, providing and setting up much of the glamour and drama that follows Pippin.

Hopkins has an incredibly strong voice that immediately filled the small performance space, drawing the audience in from the get-go. His ensemble members, the “players,” comprised of students of varying ages and experience levels, were practiced and precise in all of the company numbers and dances. The effort to perfect the intricate harmonies is also evident throughout the production.

Stephen Buslovich, a sophomore who played Pippin, was noticeably battling a case of strep throat, but struggled through to portray the na