The lines between fantasy and reality will become blurred onstage at the Beckwith Theatre this weekend, as the community theater debuts its production of the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical “Pippin.”

The show premieres on Friday and will run the next two weekends, Aug. 11-13 and 18-20, at the local playhouse, 100 New York Ave., Dowagiac. Curtains will rise at 7:30 p.m. for Friday and Saturday performances and at 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets cost $15, and may be purchased at the box office at the time of the performance. People may call (269) 782-7653 to reserve seats.

The play centers around the titular character, who is loosely based off the historical figure Pepin the Hunchback, the eldest son of the famed King Charlemagne. Prince Pippin spends the play in search of an extraordinary life, and navigates the worlds of warfare, politics and sexual desire on his quest to find fulfillment in life.

While the story may sound straightforward on paper, the way it is told is anything but.

Pippin’s story is intermixed with the affairs of the magical theater troupe bringing the young man’s journey to life before the audiences. The play, originally produced in Broadway in 1972, was groundbreaking at the time for the way the performers broke the fourth-wall and frequently interacted directly with the audience.

“It tells a very traditional story in a very nontraditional way,” said Jim Geisel, the director of the upcoming Beckwith production.

“Pippin,” written by Roger O. Hirson with music composed by Stephen Schwartz, has since become one of Broadway’s longest running shows, and has received several Tony Awards throughout the years, including winning “Best Revival of a Musical” in 2013.

For Geisel, a veteran South Bend director who has led more than 150 shows in the area, the chance to head a production of “Pippin” is a chance to cross off a major item on his bucket list, he said. While the original production came out when he was 10 years old, this run is the first time he has had the chance to direct the seminal musical.

“If you perform in musical comedies, you are probably familiar with this show,” he said.

Geisel is returning to Beckwith after a four-year absence. His last show at the Dowagiac theater was a production of “Coyote on the Fence.”

Bringing the characters to life on stage is a cast of 10, many of whom have performed “Pippin” at other venues, Geisel said. The team has rehearsed for the last six weeks, and are in good shape heading into this Friday’s premiere, the director added.

“Audiences who have never seen this style of play before will be very entertained by it,” he said. “A good time will be had by all.”

Beckwith will host an opening night wine reception Friday, which will be sponsored by Domaine Berrien Cellars.