SANDY — Something will always go wrong in live theater, that that’s half the fun. Forgotten lines, missed cues, broken sets, and technical disasters are not flaws of the art form, they’re features. Some companies are better at covering up these mishaps and working them seamlessly into the performance while other shows seem to snowball into chaotic messes as mistakes pile up. Errors are part of life and what makes live theatre so thrilling, hilarious, and completely irreplaceable. Hale Centre Theatre embraces in the fun of theatre mishaps with the Utah Premiere of Peter Pan Goes Wrong written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. This play functions as the rare stage sequel and draws on an audience favorite in The Play that Goes Wrong.
Since the original stage debut of Peter Pan in 1904 in London, thousands – if not tens of thousands – of productions of Peter Pan have been produced by professional and amateur theaters around the world. It involves a beloved story, classical staging, and many things that can go wrong. That makes Peter Pan the perfect show to parody for going wrong. Actors and audiences are both familiar with this beloved classic and know all too well that having the fly system go wrong during a production of Peter Pan has definitely happened many times before.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Production Photos will be added when available!
Direction
Directed by Ryan Simmons, this production is a delightful slapstick farce following a community theatre’s opening night of “Peter Pan” which quickly goes wrong until it is literally spiraling out of control. Peter Pan Goes Wrong is metatheatrical in that the story features a show within a show. The production focuses on characters who are actors with distinct personalities and background stories that influence how they portray their Peter Pan roles in the play. This added depth highlights that every production involves far more than just the script, and it’s this layered storytelling that makes the chaos even more entertaining.
Acting
I reviewed the Monday/Wednesday/Friday cast, with the exception of Roger Dunbar who plays Chris, the director of the show who also plays the roles of Mr. Darling and Captain Hook.
Dunbar’s deep, commanding voice suited both the role of Captain Hook and an exasperated director as he ordered not only pirates around but the rest of the cast and crew in a desperate attempt to keep things together. When Mr. Smee walks off with his prop hook, Dunbar resorts to using his pointer finger as a hook, delivering a moment with impeccable comedic timing and finesse.
Ben Parkes, playing Francis the Narrator repeatedly enters and exits the stage on an automated armchair throwing a handful of glitter in front of a malfunctioning smoke machine. The automated armchair is fantastic automation design by Nick Herring. Excessive glitter reflect the theatre’s attempt to bring a little bit of Disney magic to the production while also humorously illustrating how automated things don’t always work the way an actor would intend and can take away from the magic of the show itself.
Jacob Chapman plays Jonathan, an arrogant leading man portraying Peter Pan who is convinced all the girls are in love with him. When imagining what could possibly go wrong with the show of Peter Pan, the fly system is definitely the first thing that comes to mind. Chapman is both terrified and commanding as he demands the fly operators to put him down after they fly him around the stage and keep taking him up when he isn’t expecting it. Unfortunately and ironically, the fly system had an unintended real world issue during the opening night causing an extended long pause as the cast and crew actually worked out some kinks during the show. Yes, Peter Pan Goes Wrong actually went wrong.
Twyla Wilson plays Sandra portraying a slightly more mature and flirtatious Wendy who seems more interested in dating the star of the show than of her own acting and singing abilities. Wilson sings “World of Make Believe” with a painfully bad pop tone that makes the audience cringe from the very first note, perfectly setting up this wonderfully disastrous musical number.
Nearly every actor has been in a show when someone doesn’t know their lines. Ethan Freestone plays Dennis, the actor relies on a headset to be fed his lines from off stage. Playing both John Darling and Mr. Smee Freestone is hilarious as he starts reciting the lines for Mr. Smee and Captain Hook while wearing the wrong costume dressed like John Darling.
Clara Wright plays the role of Annie, the actress who is juggling the many roles of Mrs. Darling, Liza, Tinkerbell, and Curly. During the opening nursery scene, Wright frantically switches between Mrs. Darling and Liza becoming increasingly exasperated as she struggles to keep up with the fast pace and the challenge of playing two roles at once. She later sings a lovely, and impressively loud, lullaby to the children as crew members come into chainsaw the door to free the character Robert.
Bryan Dayley plays assistant director Robert, along with several other roles throughout the night, bringing both heart and growing frustration as everything continues to go wrong. His characters included the dog Nana, where he is on all fours in a dog costume and gets stuck in the nursery door. He also plays Peter Pan’s overly confident shadow that doesn’t want to be just a shadow, and Mr. Starkey the bumbling pirate that no one can understand.
The true hero of the night emerges in the unlikely character of Max (Colton Hattabaugh) who plays both Michael Darling and the Alligator. Hattabaugh’s charming smile and confidence help ground the chaos and win over the audience and the heart of Sandra.
Ali Bennett plays Robert’s niece, Lucy. Lucy portrays Toodles who is one of the over-eager and accident prone lost boys. Lucy is an absolute trooper as she navigates the stage with a boot and a wheelchair while battling debilitating stage fright. She sticks with the show despite repeated mishaps and wraps up the show beautifully in the end with a lovely heartfelt reading saving the show and really coming out of her shell and shining by the end of the show.
Design
The fantastic set was designed by Jean Taylor to look like a storybook come to life. The rotating stage seamlessly transitions from the nursery to the woods to the third set that changes from the rooftop to the mermaid lagoon to the pirate ship. This production is elevated by playing at Hale Centre Theatre’s Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage. The rotating stage is essential to the chaos and would not work in a theatre-in-the-round but is ideal for this space. One of the best parts of the show is the moment when the rotating stage goes out of control and chaos ensues as the actors try to keep the show going and people who are supposed to be backstage are suddenly now on stage in full view of the audience. It’s a moment rich with dramatic irony, and the technical wizardry was spectacular.
Recommendation
For those who love slapstick comedy and have a nostalgic fondness for live theatre gone wrong, this show is for you. Theatre lovers will recognize the mishaps as they relate to their own memories of productions falling apart. While this show is based on the children’s story “Peter Pan” , audience members of all ages will enjoy it. I took my 10 year old son with me to see the show and he did enjoy it although I did have to explain a few things to him that an adult would instinctively already understand. Things like, “Yes that was just a dummy who fell from the fly system,” and “The tech guy is just filling in for Peter Pan because he got hurt at the end of the first act.”
I loved that it was so well done that it required more explanation. That’s what makes theatre great: It’s just pretend and nobody plays pretend better than Peter Pan even when the world is falling apart. If you need a laugh — or many, many, many, laughs — you can’t go wrong seeing this show.
MORE INFO: Peter Pan Goes Wrong will play at Hale Centre Theatre Sandy plays through May 9th on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage (9900 South Monroe Street, Sandy). Shows are nightly (except Sundays) at 7:00 PM, with select matinees at 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM. Tickets: $28–$77. For more information, visit htc.org.