Peter Pan

Armed with his trusty dagger, Peter Pan (Tyler Traum) leads
Wendy (Claire Quillen), Michael (Miller Traum)
and John (Isabella Giannetti) into Neverland

 The Jean Henderson Performing Arts Center was filled with children, parents and grandparents for Sunday’s matinee performance of the Davis Musical Theatre Company’s production of “Peter Pan.”
They were in for a real treat.

This “Peter Pan,” directed by Steve Isaacson, is a delight from start to finish.

Begin with the better-than-average DMTC sets, designed by Isaacson. From the lovely nursery to the two scenes in Neverland to the scary pirate ship in Act 3, the sets are not opulent, but oh so “just right” for this production.

Cynthia Krivicich has done an amazing job as choreographer. All of the child actors were spot on. In particular the “Ugh-a-Wug” dance of the Indians (which some may consider not politically correct in this day and age, but how can you do “Peter Pan” without those Indians?) was particularly impressive, with the girls as precise as the Rockettes.

New to this production are body mics, which worked flawlessly and unobtrusively. They gave just that extra oomph to young voices that sometimes can’t fill an entire theater, yet without any reverb or unnatural sound to them.

I suspect, however, that Tyler Traum (Peter Pan) didn’t really need a body mic. What a find she is. A product of Sacramento Theatre Company’s Young Professionals program, she definitely gives a professional performance as the young boy who doesn’t want to grow up.

She can convincingly be an obstreperous boy, a wistful orphan, a loving father to a group of lost boys and savior of Wendy (Claire Quillen) and Tiger Lily (McKinley Carlisle). And she flies, too.

The flying crew of Alex Hom, Mike Traum, Matthew Evans and Chris Colbourn do an excellent job of keeping their young charges in the air, using rigging designed by Isaacson.

Another outstanding job is done by Brian McCann, surely the perfect Captain Hook. From the scary pirate who is set on destroying Peter Pan to the terrified man stalked by a crocodile (Tomas Eredia in a marvelous new crocodile costume), McCann excels. He also plays the blustery Mr. Darling in the opening scenes, before his children fly off to Neverland.

Amanda Valli Spence is Mrs. Darling, a calm, serene mother whose job it is to make the house run peacefully and calmly so as not to upset her husband.

The three children — Quillen, along with Isabella Giannetti as John and Miller Traum as little Michael — do an excellent job. Quillen is particularly good.

Brittany Owings is a delightful Nana, the nursemaid dog, and Katie Smith-Induni is Liza is the Darlings’ maid, though I never did figure out how (or why) she got to and from Neverland with the children.

Kudos, too, to James Cubbage, who helped the fairy Tinker Bell flit about the stage so convincingly.
Julia Quillen and Jean Henderson comprise the costume crew and have done a great job, as always.

“Peter Pan” was the very first show that DMTC produced, 32 years ago. In fact, there is a replica of a ticket to that show printed in the program. Isaacson remembered that during Act 1 of that show, the set crew was backstage trying to finish the set for Act 3.

What a long way this treasured community theater company has come in 32 years.

Peter Pan

Jenn Colella as Peter Pan and Maria Briggs as Jane take to the skies
as Jennifer Hope Wills as Old Wendy watches in “Peter Pan,”
produced by Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion
through Sunday. Charr Crail/Courtesy photo

With a little magic, a lot of fairy dust and some really strong overhead wires, “Peter Pan” bursts through the nursery window of the Wells Fargo Pavilion to thrill children and adults in this week’s first-rate Music Circus production of the J.M. Barrie classic.

The Tony Award-winning 1998 version, which also was made into an A&E TV special, is directed by Glenn Casale, with delightful choreography by Patti Colombo and additional flying-sequence choreography by Paul Rubin.

Three of the actors in this Music Circus production also were part of the A&E production — Paul Schoeffler (Mr. Darling/Captain Hook), Michael Nostrand (Smee) and Kim Arnett, a member of the ensemble.

Jenn Colella, recently co-starring with Idina Menzel on Broadway in “If/Then,” is an energetic Peter Pan — brash, physical, petulant, endearing. She has the swagger of a young boy, and flies through the air with the greatest of ease, sprinkling fairy dust in her wake.

The Darling children, who fly with Peter to Neverland, are Aidan Winn as John, Joshua Davis as Michael and Lori Eve Marinacci as Wendy. Winn is adorable, clutching his teddy bear in his footed jammies. Davis has a Harry Potter-ish appearance with his big glasses. Marinacci is a warm and caring Wendy, ready to be mother to the lost boys of Neverland, until she realizes that she really needs her own mother.

Jennifer Hope Wills is Mrs. Darling, who sings the children a beautiful lullaby (“Tender Shepherd”). Her husband is played by Paul Schoeffler, who also plays Captain Hook.

Schoeffler, who is returning to Music Circus after a long hiatus, has a long performing history with the group. He is simply marvelous, particularly as Hook, roaring orders at everyone, but reduced to a quivering mass of fear when faced with his nemesis, the crocodile, who has already bitten off one hand and wants to come back for the other.

The crocodile (Jake DuPree) is very realistic (and terrifying). DuPree is also the guy inside the Nana the Dog costume back in the nursery and is as believable as a dog as he is as a crocodile.

Michael Nostrand plays Hook’s right-hand man, Smee, the perfect sycophant ready to serve Hook at the drop of a hat.

Colombo’s choreography is outstanding, particularly the dances for the Indians, led by the Indian Princess Tiger Lily (Desiree Davar). Each of the Indian dances was a show-stopper, particularly the somewhat less-than-politically correct “Ugg-a-Wugg.” (Many believe the song employs outdated stereotypes about the American Indian language and culture, both musically and lyrically, and the lyrics were changed for the recent TV special).

Politically correct or not, this drum-infused dance number brought down the house on opening night.
The plot of the frenetic life on Neverland seems to be that the Indians hate the lost boys, as do the pirates, who also hate the Indians. It seems that everyone is chasing everyone at one time or another, though “Ugg-a-Wugg” celebrates a new liaison between Indians and Boys after Peter Pan rescues Tiger Lily from a rock where she was left by the pirates to die.

Suffice to say there is a lot of running and chasing and yelling and the kids in the audience loved it. I personally would have liked the volume of the sound, which can be ear-splitting, be turned down a smidge, but this is a show for the kids, not for grumpy adults.

Special kudos must be given to the ever-efficient Music Circus tech crew, who did yeomen’s duty hauling big set pieces on and off the stage in the dark. Scenic designers Scott Klier and Jamie Kumpf have done a great job particularly in creating the nursery with its overhead shelves lined with toys.

It’s hard to do a bad production of this popular story, and this version by the Music Circus is definitely popular with everyone in the audience, which had a high number of children.

Peter Pan

If you have children — or grandchildren — looking for something to do the next couple of weekends, I highly recommend taking them to Woodland Opera House’s sparkling new production of “Peter Pan.”

This is not the Peter Pan of Disney and you probably won’t recognize any of the songs, but this version, with book, music and lyrics by Piers Chater Robinson and directed by Angela Baltezore, is loads of fun. The theater full of young children — who sat spellbound throughout the evening and cheered at the end — attested to that (there was even one toddler, so caught up in it all that when the children’s choir marched up on stage to take their bows, he slipped out of his seat and followed them and had to be rescued by his mother).

Robinson created this adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” in 1985, following approval by the trustees of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in Britain, to whom Barrie had left the Peter Pan rights. Robinson’s adaptation was further developed into “Peter Pan The Official British Musical.” It has since been performed all over the world and has been a favorite in the West End in London for the past 25 years.

Leading the cast in the title role is Emily Jo Seminoff. I first met this talented actress in 2006, when she was playing this role for the second time with Davis Musical Theater’s Young People’s Theater. It has been a delight to watch her grow up on stage and her Peter in this production is spot-on, the perfect little boy who won’t grow up and becomes confused when Wendy wants to. She also flies through the air with the greatest ease, courtesy of ZFX Flying Effects.

Seventh-grader Emily O’Flaherty tackles the role of Wendy and does it beautifully. She has a lovely voice and is wonderfully at home on stage.

Her brothers, John (Bailey Robinson-Burmester) and Michael (Makenna Harding-Davis) also deserve kudos. Robinson-Burmester continues in his theater family’s tradition and carries the torch very well, while Harding-Davis is just cute as a button in all of her scenes.

Rodger McDonald is the father of the Darling children and also Captain Hook. Was there ever a better actor for the role? As Hook he is appropriately nasty, without scaring the children in the audience, and as Mr. Darling he is all bluff and bluster, but obviously loving his children very much.

Returning to the stage after a long hiatus is Betsy Taloff, as Mrs. Darling, the mother everyone would like to have, loving and understanding, particularly when Wendy expresses a desire to return to Neverland once a year to help Peter with spring cleaning.

Stealing the show are Marcus Lucia as Nana, the nursemaid dog, and Mary Dahlberg as the crocodile who follows Hook everywhere, hoping to get another taste of him. Aided by the costume design of Denise Miles these two make very credible (and popular) animals.

Kudos also to Chris Taloff for “playing” Tinker Bell. The green light which flitted around the stage, augmented with twinkle music by musical director James Glica-Hernandez, was just perfect, especially when Tink nestled in Peter’s hands, dying. There was also lots of fun with Hook at the curtain call.

The crew of Lost Boys — Emily Miller, Ryan Everitt, Hayley Harrison, Casey Wathen, Jimin Moon and Jordan Hayakawa — were all great, and the Indian dancers — Camila Morales, Keri Ruanto, Andrew Duncan and Hunter Lamar — along with chief Horacio Gonzalez had the show stopping dance of the evening, choreographed by Angela Baltezore and Eva Sarry.

Hook’s second in command, Smee (Jeff Nauer) succeeded in making the bumbling pirate more lovable than frightening.

The production is great fun for the whole family and will only be around weekends until May 12, so get your tickets before they are sold out.

Peter Pan

When Cathy Rigby and husband, producer Tom McCoy, brought their “Peter Pan” to the Community Center stage in 2004, it was billed as Rigby’s “farewell tour,” so it was somewhat of a surprise to see her returning in 2012 with another production of “Peter Pan.” But hey — if you can still do such an iconic role, why not?

In truth, the production, directed again by Glenn Casale, is spectacular, and Rigby is spectacular in it. Her flying through the air, across the stage and out over the audience, doing all sorts of twists and turns and flips high above the stage (choreographed by Paul Rubin) is perhaps not so unusual for an Olympic gold medalist, but have I mentioned that the actress is now 60 years old? (To compare, Mary Martin did her last “Peter Pan” at age 42)

But what I found even more impressive was her ability to step so effortlessly into the body and psyche of a young boy. She has the mannerisms, the constant motion, the endlessly curious hands which must pick up and examine everything, the swagger, the bravado, all the things parents of little boys will easily recognize (she herself is mother to four and grandmother to four). She literally inhabits the body of Peter Pan.

In fact, she seems almost younger than the three Darling children whom Peter takes with him to Neverland.

Krista Buccellato was almost more believable as the grown-up Wendy than the young girl Wendy (not surprising, as she has already earned her BFA), though she has a lovely voice and becomes “younger,” if possible as she attempts to mother the lost boys.

Oddly, Wendy’s two younger brothers are both played by girls, John by Lexy Baeza and Michael alternately by Sophie Sooter or Julia Massey. I saw 10-year-old Massey, who was fine, but not the cute little boy we are accustomed to seeing — certainly too old to be carrying a teddy bear. (Sooter is 8 and may be more size appropriate).

Kim Crosby is a nice, serene Mrs. Darling, fearful of leaving her children alone while she and her husband go to a party, because she thinks she has seen a boy at the window, and she is afraid he may harm her children.

The program lists Brent Barrett as Mr. Darling, though played by understudy Sam Zeller at the production I saw. The actor also plays Captain Hook and Zeller looked straight out of the Disney cartoon, visually perfect as the pirate trying to catch Peter Pan to make him pay for cutting off his hand, and tossing it to the crocodile, who has been chasing Hook ever since, trying to get the rest of him.

Nursemaid Nana (the dog) and the crocodile are both played by Clark Roberts who must have spent a long time studying both dogs and crocodiles to be able to bring both species to life so believably (thanks, of course, to costumes by Shigeru Yaji).

Choreographer Patti Colombo keeps the pace sprightly with a number of dance numbers, including a pirate tarantella and a pirate tango. It is interesting to note that the Indian dance, “Ugg-a-Wugg,” originally choreographed by Jerome Robbins, was felt to be insensitive to Native Americans and in need of revision. Colombo left the music unchanged, but completely redid the choreography to become a spirited dance sequence for the Lost Boys and the Indians, as they prepare to battle the pirates.

John Iacovelli, head of UC Davis’ MFA design program, designed the sets for this production, creating a luxurious nursery with its tall windows for the Darling nursery, Neverland’s island setting, mermaid lagoon and the cartoonesque Pirate ship.

The lighting design of Michael Gilliam included the all-important Tinker Bell effect, a ball-shaped light that bounced around the stage and hid out in the children’s doll house. Such personality did the light have that as it began to fade and Peter makes a plea to the children in the theater to believe in fairies, the applause was strong, and Tinker Bell was saved once again.

At the end of the evening, as Peter Pan flies overhead sprinkling the audience with fairy dust, you will believe that thinking good thoughts will help you fly, and you will believe in fairies and in a little boy who still, 100 years after his creation, has steadfastly refused to grow up.