Review: Peter Pan by touring company
by Vanessa Hoang Hughes
Magical boy Peter Pan flies into the bedroom of ordinary kids Wendy, John, and Michael to take them on a riveting journey to a fantastical place called Neverland. This new adaptation touring the US is an exciting rewrite of the 1954 musical that featured Mary Martin and Cyril Richard. Writer Larissa Fasthorse of the Lakota nation and director Lonny Price have created a production that keeps all the charm and nostalgia of the original, reviving it in a culturally aware revision.
Two teams created the original score. Carolyn Leigh and “Moose” Charlap wrote it, then director Jerome Robbins hired Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green to augment it. This Peter Pan draws principally on their work. Although musical material has been added, no composer is credited for the new work; Andy Einhorn appears on the tour website as the arranger.
The soundtrack features exuberant, jolly tunes such as “I’m Flying” and the pirate songs. It also offers beautiful heartfelt ballads such as “When I Went Home,” where Peter opens up about returning, only to find another boy asleep in his bed.
Though these numbers were enjoyable, the score still lacked a bit of pixie dust. The production would have benefited from a strong, moving ensemble number. Some scenes did come close. For example, in “I Won’t Grow Up” the Lost Boys promise never to mature or age, but that scene, plain fun, served more as exposition and didn't move the plot forward.
Fasthorse, who wrote the widely performed satirical work The Thanksgiving Play, amended significant portions of the libretto. She strengthened female roles (especially those of Wendy and Tiger Lily), and she recast Native American characters. For example, the song “Ugg-a-Wug,” meant as humorous portrayal of native speech, was replaced with a new number titled “Forever Friends.” Some of the lyrics are cheesy, but it does a much better job announcing the new alliance between the Lost Boys and Tiger Lilly’s tribe.
“Forever Friends” with Lorin Latarro's lively choreography blended the clumsy, confident movements of the Lost Boys with strong and precise spins and leaps of Tiger Lily’s tribe. Another notable dance was “I Won’t Grow Up,” where the Lost Boys prance and tap across the stage so that their personalities shine through.
As soon as the curtain opens, we see Hawa Kamara’s Wendy insisting Levi Chrisopulos’ John learn to waltz. From that moment on, the young actors' energy was at 100%. Down-to-earth, no-nonsense Wendy dreams of becoming a surgeon. She assumes the position of “mother” for the Lost Boys. In this more contemporary take, Kamara's acting and beautiful voice anchor the story in reality even though the adventures are fantastical. Levi Chrisopulos and Camden Kwok are the adorable duo of younger brothers with an enthusiasm often hard to find in young actors.
Nolan Almeida literally flies onto the stage as Peter Pan, drawing the whole audience in with a stunning vibrato in “I’ve Gotta Crow,” the first of many solos. Almeida demonstrated expert mime skills when Peter attempted to reattach his shadow. His physical comedy, great dance technique, and comedic timing made him an utterly charming title character. Almeida brought the goofiness into Peter but was capable of instantly transforming his character into a naive, scared little boy of touching fragility.
Parents loved Cody Garcia as Captain Hook. Bringing in all the cartoonish hilarity of the 1953 Disney animated film that started it all, Garcia happily exploits the rewrite. Hilariously, he refers to Tiger Lily as “TL” throughout the show. Bailey Frankenber’s Tiger Lily portrays a strong woman in charge of a tribe assembled from fugitives of different cultures who fled to Neverland to preserve their histories.
The ensemble is excellent throughout. Each performer's character was vivid and charming. Most notable among them were Kurt Perry’s Smee and Serenity Mariana's Croc, slithering around in the hilarious crocodile costume designed by Sarafina Bush.
Amith Chandrashaker’s lighting design transported children and adults alike. When Peter sings “I Gotta Crow,” his fleeing shadow dances and shapeshifts across the walls. The children's flight to Neverland through a projection designed by David Bengali gave us in the audience the feeling we were flying right alongside them.
Tinkerbell had her very own designer, Paul Kieve. As in the original stage version, Tink was portrayed with a simple twinkling light. Her animated movement and the entrancing chime used for her voice were enough to make the audience believe in fairies. When I was little, I used to turn the lights off and flicker the beam of a small flashlight around my room. Something about it filled me with wonder. Seeing Tinkerbell in this production brought back that same childish excitement.
Anna Louizos designed whimsical sets. As the story moved from the Darlings’ bedroom to the Neverland forests to Captain Hook’s pirate ship, each scene offered a distinct ambience and bright color palette. Their extravagant detail made the stage look much fuller than it has in other productions toured through Austin. The scenery, real set pieces made with care instead of mere projections, looked as if it could have remained in Bass Concert Hall for months. One can only imagine the work of moving those pieces from city to city.
All these wonderfully crafted technical aspects gave Peter Pan a real-life feel that could never have been obtained through film. This tour transports its audiences into a new and never-before-seen world with stunts and effects that amaze children. It's a fun-for-all production filled with stunning performances, awe-inspiring theater magic, and a vivid story the entire family will remember.
EXTRA
Peter Pan
by John M Daniels Jr
touring company
December 10 - December 15, 2024
December 10 - 15, 2024
Bass Concert Hall, Austin
Tickets via Texas Performing Arts
