SALT LAKE CITY — J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan has been twisted, told and modified in a myriad of ways. In every media imaginable, the story of not wanting to grow up has been told again and again, even co-opted into becoming the metadrama within so many other exceptional stories. Many iterations of this childhood exploring story create joy, and some have presented problems for modern sensibilities. The hit Broadway musical presented by Broadway at the Eccles found a magical and delightful balance between playing with childhood fantasy and key elements of character, music and plot keeping the story rooted in familiarity and nostalgia. The book of Peter Pan was revised by Larissa Fasthorse from the original adaptation with music and lyrics by Jerome Robbins.
Right away, a familiar and iconic set of a large central window, beds for the Darling children, and blue striped walls brought audiences to that happy place. A modernized context was clear in the dialogue discussing Wendy’s desire to be a surgeon, Mrs. Darling’s career, and a babysitter (not the fluffy dog Nanna) who simply watches YouTube and scrolls social media. While initially a little jarring, this opening made me wonder what else might be modernized as the musical continued. However, the more things changed, the more they stayed the same in truly delightful ways.
Tinkerbell was an exceptionally designed floating dot of bright light weaving in and out of set pieces, hands of actors, and through the air with exceptional skill. Paul Kieve, who designed the faerie, did an exceptional job making her wordless magic come to life in ways that evoked childhood wonder from audience members of all ages. Wendy’s desire to be a surgeon gave 21st century logic to her ability to sew Peter Pan’s shadow. Tiger Lily and her crew were no longer the red-faced caricatures of Indians but now a playful rival group setting up a fantastic and energetic dynamic as the three rowdy bands (Pan’s, Hook’s and Tiger Lily’s) are constantly at odds with one another. Traditional conventions such as Hook doubling as Mr. Darling, pirates catching and tying up Tiger Lily, and a full grown actor playing The Croc while wheeling across the stage are all parts of the story. The creative team behind this production did a phenomenal job of creating “in with the new” without displacing any important moments, songs or scenes as they moved “out with the old.”
Peter Pan tours to the Eccles Theatre through November 10. | Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
This production accomplished the number one job of a Peter Pan production exceptionally well: it was fun. Director Lonny Price did everything just right in that he simply told a good story. Price’s direction here did that to a T. The flying sequences are good – especially Peter’s first entrance trailing pixie dust – without being overdone. With an expense like flying, it can be easy for a production to try to squeeze as much out of that expense as possible, and instead, it was simply magical to watch the children fly at the beginning and then seeing Peter fly when necessary. The lost boys are playful, energetic, and shared focus well. The different bands fought energetically without feeling out of control. Jokes are well timed and there’s a dynamic chemistry between the cast. It was exceptional, especially given the high number of young actors involved.
Nolan Almeida was a standout Peter Pan. Almeida asked questions and made statements like they were the most obvious thing in the world. Throughout the production, Almeida’s humor was manifest in being unflappable and direct. He brought all of the Peter Pan swagger without a trace of cheesy winks to the audience. However, the actor also had tenderness in pleading with the audience to clap if they believed in faeries. Spoiler; we did. Almeida’s Pan reminded me of portrayals of Jack Kelly from the Newsies, even down to his cadence that felt rougish and clipped without being distant. Almeida, who may soon be a household name, has a beautiful voice that played well in the beautiful Eccles theatre and I was stunned to realize he was just a senior in High School.
Hawa Kamara was every bit Almeida’s match as a dynamic and fun Wendy. Kamara brought persistence to her role as Wendy. For every obtuse thing that Peter said, Kamara brought a grounded and hilarious response as the de facto adult in the room. She also was unabashedly smitten with Peter Pan, which was adorable to watch. Watching Kamara play Wendy gave a sometimes wishy-washy character a fresh take as a driven woman who knows what she wants and works to get it. Kamara comes back as the older Wendy even more grounded and developed as a person. Kamara has exceptional range with every tool in the actor’s toolbox, and was a delight to watch.
Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy
Cody Garcia’s portrayal of Captain Hook was delightful. Excellent makeup from designer J. Jared Janas accentuated the comic features of Garcia whose exasperation was clear from the start, and still built through the production. His terror at The Croc (Christina Hélène Braa) was exciting, playful, but believable Garcia was ideally suited to the role. Garcia was lithe and graceful as Hook, even showing off impressive leg extension while fighting, dancing or feeling. Garcia’s chemistry with Kurt Perry (Smee) led to delightful banter culminating in their walking the plank.
The same can be said of ensembles generally. Again, so much credit to a cast of actors that play a children’s story with exceptional fervor without pandering. Each actor was strong and dynamic physically, and carried absolute commitment to their bits. This was what theatre for families and young audiences at the highest level looks like. Families will be delighted by this production.
Peter Pan can feel a little slow, but this production was excellent paced for fun and sensitivity. There were some hiccups on the Tuesday night performance that felt like they would give production stage manager Megan Belgam a lengthy production report to writeup, but none were detrimental to the experience of watching the show. The minor issues of delayed mics or fog, other blips didn’t take away from a fantastic show and never really suspended disbelief. At the end, it felt like a reminder to all that childhood is a time to play, and that even our modern driven world succeeds when we can find a little joy along the way.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
