HOOK, LINE & SEQUINER

Presidio’s Peter Pan Panto soars on camp, color,
chaos, Christmas cheer, and unapologetic silliness

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This holiday season, the Presidio Theatre brings back its beloved Panto in the Presidio for a fifth year — that joyful British pantomime tradition where audiences shout warnings, boo villains, and generally behave like theater is supposed to be fun. Think children’s theater meets over-the-top adult musical meets silly slapstick. Because the shows are written on two concurrent levels, it’s a winner for all ages. This year’s gleefully unhinged target: Peter Pan, the boy who won’t grow up. And trust me, with this cast, nobody is growing up anytime soon.

Maggie Connard, Renée Lubin as Treasure and Mercury van Sciver Curt Branom as Dolores and Andy Collins as Smee

Written by Stephanie Brown and Richard Ciccarone, and clearly inspired by Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie, the classic story involves the boy who — aided and assisted by the fairy known as Tinkerbell — takes Wendy and her brothers to Neverland. There they encounter the devious Captain Hook and the Lost Boys. This modern-day take is narrated by Curt Branom as Dolores — a fabulously deadpan Mother Goose type — and  her scene-stealing sidekick Pecker (the kids laugh at a different time than the adults for this giant rainbow rooster). We meet Abigail Esfira Campbell’s Wendy Darling, now a polished businesswoman returning home to rescue the family magic shop from her not-so-practical brothers — Sleiman Alahmadia as Michael and Scott Reardon as John. Enter Corey Bryant’s eternally youthful Peter Pan and Chanel Tilghman’s luminous Tinker Bell, who whisk the siblings to Neverland — which happens to look a lot like San Francisco, if San Francisco had talking birds and fewer zoning problems.

Pirates

The stakes? Avoiding the wickedly glamorous Captain Hook, played by the divine Rotimi Agbabiaka, who serves pure drag-adjacent camp, murderous glee, and side-eye that could cut rope. Andy Collins joins as Smee, leading a crew of Lost Boys who seem like they escaped from a gender-bent music video — in the best way.

Abigail Esfira Campbell (Wendy Darling), Seth Hanson (Peter Pan), Chanel Tilghman (Tinkerbell)

As is panto tradition, pop hits get rewritten into cheeky parody numbers. Under musical director Bill Peck, adults bop along while kids laugh at jokes they think they understand (but oh honey, they don’t).

Rotimi Agbabiaka as Hook and Seth Hanson as Peter Pan

Visually, the show goes big. Alina Bokovikova’s costumes are glitter-bombed fever dreams with feathers, sequins, and at least one corset that deserves its own applause. The choreography by Stacey Printz keeps the show moving like a caffeine high on opening night. Director Liam Vincent appears to have told everyone: “If you’re not having too much fun, you’re doing it wrong,” and the cast obliges beautifully.

Abigail Esfira Campbell as Wendy Darling, Chanel Tilghman as Tinkerbell,
Seth Hanson as Peter Pan and Sleiman Alahmadieh as Michael Darling

The legendary Renée Lubin — a 34-year veteran of Beach Blanket Babylon — lends powerhouse vocals as Treasure, a Neverland nymph who could easily headline her own spin-off. As Tock the Croc, River Bermudez Sanders chases Captain Hook with the determination of someone who has already sampled the entrée and is coming back for seconds.

The cast

And we must salute the designers: Andrea Schwartz’s colorful lighting and Jeff Gregory’s clean sound give this Neverland its glittering pulse.

Lost Boys and Chickens

This Panto in the Presidio is proudly queer, loudly silly, and made with love — the kind of theatre that invites all ages to yell, clap, and occasionally duck to avoid the flying candy tossed into the audience. Executive Producer Peggy Haas wants to bring joy to the holidays; mission thoroughly accomplished.

Don’t miss it — and don’t forget to boo dramatically. Captain Hook insists.

Andy Collins, Rotimi Agbabiaka, Chanel Tilghman

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photos by Terry Lorant

Peter Pan
Panto in the Presidio
Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center, 99 Moraga Ave. in SF
120 minutes with intermission
ends on December 28, 2025
for tickets ($16.50–$66), call 415.960.3949 visit Presidio Theatre

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Renée Lubin as Treasure