HAPPILY EVER EVER IN THE LAND OF NEVER NEVER
There have been so many versions of Peter Pan over the years that current viewers might have been exposed to the character in numerous ways. Granted, it’s not too likely that anyone today got to see J.M. Barrie’s original 1904 London staging of his play about the boy who never wanted to grow up. But oh to have been in a Broadway seat in 1950 to see Boris Karloff as Captain Hook in the musical adaptation with lyrics and tunes from Leonard Bernstein which ran for just under a year.
“Neverland.” Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan
Better-known was the restaging with far more music in 1954 starring Mary Martin, whose name became nearly synonymous with Peter Pan for decades (the role has been played by women more often than men over the last seventy-five years). This successful production was turned into a television version in 1955, making it a nationwide hit. The same leads were involved in recreated updates in 1956 and finally in 1960, when perhaps the best known version was broadcast. (This excellent presentation can be seen for free on this YouTube link). And in the midst of all this, Disney released their animated version in 1953. Whew! The 1950s was a Peter Pandemic!
“I’m Flying.” Micah Turner Lee as John, Reed Epley as Michael,
Hawa Kamara as Wendy, Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan
All of this takes us to the current version — now on a national tour stopping at the San Diego Civic — by playwright Larissa FastHorse which is a reworking of the original Broadway production with Mary Martin, retaining many of the original songs but with cuts and additions. Having watched the 1960 video above, I very much approve of the changes, which yield a richer program (addition lyrics by Amanda Green). You will see five songsmiths credited in this and the 1954 version. When he started the project, original director Jerome Robbins began with the relatively unknown composer/lyricist team of Mark “Moose” Charlap and Carolyn Leigh for a few songs, but as the project’s possibilities blossomed, he turned to the recognized trifecta of Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green for additional tunes which were hurriedly supplied on the road (Amanda is Adolph’s daughter).
“I Gotta Crow.” Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan, Hawa Kamara as Wendy
Our story is updated to take place in modern London, with immediate references to video games and headphones. Eldest daughter Wendy Darling (Hawa Kamara) longs for a more interesting and responsible life when a boy named Peter Pan (Nolan Almeida) flies in her window and tells her of Never Never Land, his homeland in the sky where every day is an adventure and no one gets any older. She awakens her younger brothers Michael (Camden Kwok) and John (William Foon) who are equally excited at the notion of literally flying off (thanks to fairy dust and thinking happy thoughts) with Peter to meet his band of Lost Boys who fight their battles against two others: the primary villain, Captain Hook (Cody Garcia), who wants Peter dead in revenge for his lost hand and Tiger Lily (Raye Zaragoza) whose tribe rivals the Lost Boys. Will the Lost Boys be able to best Tiger Lily’s tribe while keeping Peter safe from Hook? Will Wendy fit into this world and be willing to leave hers behind? Will the closeness of Wendy and Peter interfere with Peter’s resolve to never grow up?
“Friends Forever.” Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan, Kenny Ramos as Acoma,
Raye Zaragoza as Tiger Lily and the cast of Peter Pan
Equally significant to better plot points, the new adaptation eliminates much of what is now a bit cringeworthy about 1950s notions of “Indians” and “Redskins,” especially when played by folks who couldn’t have been whiter. Gone, for instance, is “Ugg-a-Wugg,” in which natives use gibberish and poor English. Actual conflict in the history between Peter and Tiger Lily explain their antagonism, instead of it being a difference simply because she is an Indian. Wendy and Tiger Lily get sharp insights instead of the two-dimensional portrayals from the mid-century.
“Hook’s Tarantella.” Cody Garcia as Captain Hook and the cast.
Initial concerns of a man playing Peter were vanquished when those timeless songs — “I’m Flying”, “I Gotta Crow”, “I Won’t Grow Up” and “Neverland” suited a male voice just fine. In the end, the sly-boy energy of the bubbly, vivacious Mr. Almeida felt more right in the role than Mary Martin, who was well-cast but felt too gentle by comparison to Almeida’s impishness. Ms. Kamara makes for a far more interesting Wendy now as director Lonny Price helps bring out her humor. Unfortunately, the same can’t really be said for the direction of Tiger Lily, whose portrayal could have been broader and more playful.
“I Won’t Grow Up!” Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan (center) and the cast
One strength of the video compared to the live version is that Mary Martin really appeared to fly, with her cables against unlit blackness. Almeida’s cables, by contrast, picked up the light almost all of the time, undermining the magic a bit. Happily, this is offset by some brilliant work by projection designer David Bengali who not only hides the cables terrifically during Peter’s flight over London but who aids an outstanding interaction between Peter and his shadow that will delight everyone.
Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan makes his entrance
Finally, big props to young lad Camden Kwok as Michael (alternating with Reed Epley). Adding age-appropriate kids to a show often weakens the output because of their capabilities. Not so in this case where he plays the role with gusto and joy that boosted the performance more so than having to allow for some 13-year-old to pretend he’s half his age.
Cody Garcia as Captain Hook
This production is both a terrific introduction to the story for children of all ages who have not heard this story before and for anyone who wants to be thoroughly entertained by this classic tale well delivered.
photos by Matthew Murphy
Peter Pan
national tour presented by Broadway San Diego, where it ends on August 4, 2024
San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue
for tickets, ca;; 629.564.3000 or visit BroadwaySD
