As promised, here is my review of Walnut's Peter Pan, fresh off the presses:
The first act begins with a family scene in the nursery, when Mr. and Mrs. Darling are getting ready to go out to dinner. Mr. Darling is grouchy and frets about both his appearance and his business. Years ago, I was in a production of Peter Pan myself (I made several children cry with my convincing “Arghhh”), but I had forgotten how in the opening Mr. Darling is the villain of the family. In a very oedipal move, the same actor who plays Mr. Darling, Paul Schoeffler, also plays Captain Hook.
When Peter decides to take Wendy, John, and Michael to Neverland, the flying commences. All of the flying actors maintain their lightheartedness, so that the act of flying seems effortless, and is very impressive. As the Darling children learn to fly, the Victorian nursery set slowly disappears piece by piece, leaving them suspended against the London nighttime sky. The audience was clearly captivated.
On Saturday I regressed about 12 years in the span of an afternoon. The catalyst? Walnut Street Theater’s new production of Peter Pan. It can make an audience member go from 21 to 9 in a matter of minutes.
From the opening curtain, the Walnut Street Theater’s production is delightful. Each act begins with a silk screen painted with a map of the various settings of the play. Tinkerbelle, represented by a red laser light, identifies the present location before the scene commences.
The first act begins with a family scene in the nursery, when Mr. and Mrs. Darling are getting ready to go out to dinner. Mr. Darling is grouchy and frets about both his appearance and his business. Years ago, I was in a production of Peter Pan myself (I made several children cry with my convincing “Arghhh”), but I had forgotten how in the opening Mr. Darling is the villain of the family. In a very oedipal move, the same actor who plays Mr. Darling, Paul Schoeffler, also plays Captain Hook.
The real action of play begins with the arrival of Cary Michelle Miller on the scene as Peter Pan, who of course has lost his shadow. I saw Miller in a very different role in the Walnut’s spring production of Carousel, and I must say she is unrecognizable as Peter. I have always had a problem with the fact that Peter is played by a woman (aren’t there any high-toned, short male actors out there who could suffice?), but Miller changed my mind. She brings such boyish pluck and bravado to the role that I found myself forgetting that she was a woman at all.
The Darling children are all sweet, but the youngest, Michael, played by Conor O’Brien, stood out. O’Brien has great comedic timing and a very strong, clear voice for a young actor.
When Peter decides to take Wendy, John, and Michael to Neverland, the flying commences. All of the flying actors maintain their lightheartedness, so that the act of flying seems effortless, and is very impressive. As the Darling children learn to fly, the Victorian nursery set slowly disappears piece by piece, leaving them suspended against the London nighttime sky. The audience was clearly captivated.
The second act was even more fun than the first, because here the pirates, Indians, and lost boys are introduced. Director Marc Robin made an excellent choice in mingling both children and boyish-looking adult actors together to comprise the lost boys. Schoeffler is in his element as the ornery Captain Hook, and I laughed out look at his thinking sessions, inspired by various types of pirate dancing. Toni Elizabeth White gave a great supporting performance, as well, as the majestic Tiger Lily, and her dance prowess stood out.
Probably the best scene in the play is the extended celebration between the Indians and the lost boys after they decide to become allies. The dancing must go on for twenty minutes, and these performers are skilled. The Indians did back flips and high kicks, the boy used props to create music in a stomp-like style. There is even a long hand slapping performance that is impressive for sheer memory alone.
I also especially enjoyed the choice of crocodile portrayal the director employed for the third act. This crocodile looks like it came from hell. Godzilla’s got nothing on him.
Another aspect of the play I had forgotten is the ending, which is somewhat eclipsed in most versions of the story by all of the fun in Neverland. The Darling children (accompanied by some friends) return to their family’s house to remain, and Peter promises he’ll come get Wendy to help with his spring cleaning every year. When he returns, Wendy is completely grown with children of her own and can’t go with him. Peter is visibly distressed by the prospect of an adult Wendy, but the play tries to compensate by having Peter take Wendy’s daughter with him instead. It really doesn’t help, because the ending still leaves the audience uncomfortable with the idea of lost youth and adult responsibility.
The Walnut production recognizes the anti-climatic ending, so during the bows they added a few extras to lift the mood. Peter actually flies out into the audience and throws confetti (this close to my face, I swear), and the cast also reprises the slap-dancing scene, with the humor of added characters like Nana and Smee.
I rarely give recommendations this high, but this performance shouldn’t be missed. It’s so much fun that it put me in a good mood for days. I even put aside my pride and approached some cast members who I saw in Starbucks the next day just to tell them how much I enjoyed the performance. Because really, who doesn’t like pirates and fairies?
Peter Pan runs through January 6th at the Walnut Street Theater (http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/). Persons under the age of 24 can purchase a youth ticket the day of the performance.
Peter Pan runs through January 6th at the Walnut Street Theater (http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/). Persons under the age of 24 can purchase a youth ticket the day of the performance.
