Faith, hope, and trust…and a little bit of pixie dust.
COSTA MESA, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts announces an all-new production of the beloved musical PETER PAN (now on national tour) which soared into Segerstrom Hall Tuesday night, performing a premiere engagement that will extend until Sunday, August 18th.
This high-flying musical has been thrilling audiences of all ages for close to 70 years and is now being brought back to life in a newly-imagined production directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) with additional book by celebrated playwright Larissa FastHorse (The Thanksgiving Play, What Would Crazy Horse Do?), choreography by Lorin Latarro (Waitress, The Who’s Tommy), flying sequences choreographed by Paul Rubin (Wicked, Frozen) with music supervision and additional arrangements by Andy Einhorn (Hello, Dolly!, Carousel).
The adventure begins onstage when Peter Pan and his mischievous sidekick, Tinker Bell, visit the bedroom of the Darling children late one night. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and a few happy thoughts, the children are taken on a magical journey they will never forget.
Seventeen-year-old Nolan Almeida plays the iconic role of the legendary Peter Pan.
An Orange County, California native, Mr. Nolan was most recently seen as Crutchie in “Newsies” at 5-Star Theatricals and was also featured in “Christmas on Repeat” on Hulu. The musical has a history of starring adult actresses in the title role — Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby — but Director Price didn’t want to go that route. “Gender is very front and center in children’s minds these days,” he says, “so casting an adult woman in the role could be an unnecessary distraction. PETER PAN is one of the great treasures of the American Musical Theatre,” Price goes on to say. “The show nurtures and inspires the imagination of its audience and reminds us to keep alive the child within us all.”
“Nolan embodies all the beautiful contradictions of Peter,” Director Price continued. “He’s an extraordinarily gifted young actor, a wonderful singer and nothing short of magical. Also, Cody Garcia (who most recently starred as Willy Wonka in the National Tour of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' and as Buddy in 'Elf') as Captain Hook is utterly modern, surprising and one of the most engaging actors I’ve ever worked with. I also want to celebrate Hawa Kamara, making her professional debut as Wendy! A wildly charismatic young actress, who is as talented as she is beautiful. And rounding out this sensational group is Raye Zaragoza as Tiger Lily - a brilliant multi-faceted recording artist and actress.”
The full cast is completed by Shefali Deshpande as Mrs. Darling, Kurt Perry as Smee, William Foon as John, Camden Kwok as Michael. The ensemble includes Charles Antenen, Zaynn Arora, Jonah Barricklo, Christina Hélène Braa, Levi Chrisopulos, Jordan T. DeLeon, Brandon Gille, Ryan Perry Marks, Michael Marrero, Kenny Ramos, Hannah Schmidt, Kiara Williams. The swings are Tony Collins, Bailey Frankenberg, Leo Gallegos and Cheyenne Omani.
You may also see a few other improvements in the current stage version. One of the most noticeable changes is the setting: now the opening scenes are in modern-day America rather than Edwardian London. Then, when the curtain comes up on the Darling home, Wendy (Hawa Kamara) and her reluctant brother John (William Foon) are filming a dance for a social media challenge. Before Mr. and Mrs. Darling (Cody Garcia and Shefali Deshpande) leave the two with their youngest brother, Michael (Camden Kwok), they wonder how concerned to be that their sitter (Hannah Schmidt) spends her working hours texting and watching videos on her phone.
With the help of slick projections by David Bengali, the four children soar to Neverland in flying sequences choreographed by Paul Rubin. There, the Darlings meet Peter’s band of Lost Boys and a tribe led by Ms. Zaragoza’s Tiger Lily. In the original musical, Tiger Lily and company were portrayed as stereotypes of Native Americans, complete with a cringeworthy song that caricatures their language as gibberish. This song is of course replaced, but even better, Native American playwright Ms. FastHorse gives the tribe a backstory to explain how they ended up on this magical island. There’s still lots of flying, fairy dust and beautiful music, of course, and now women and Indigenous characters are portrayed with the respect that they deserve.
Other amendments? Tiger Lily and Wendy advocate for equal leadership roles with Peter and fight alongside him against the pirates (led by Mr. Garcia’s delightfully campy, Scottish-accented Captain Hook). Wendy also sings one of the show’s most poignant songs, “Distant Melody,” which was given to Peter in the original, and retains her role as make-believe mother to the Lost Boys, telling them the bedtime stories that first drew Peter to the Darlings’ window. The power of storytelling comes through beautifully here.
Also, the show now lasts for two acts instead of the original three. With the change, the musical’s running time is significantly shorter. Now it clocks in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.
“I am thrilled to be part of bringing PETER PAN to life for a new generation,” said Larissa FastHorse. “If you loved this musical before, you will still see the show that enchanted you, while discovering a PETER PAN that everyone can enjoy, without harm, for many years to come.”
It’s the classic story of the boy who never grew up, told for a new generation through this fantastical new national tour of PETER PAN, while retaining most of the original play’s magic. So go ahead. Embrace your inner child and go with us on a journey to Neverland. It’s right up there — the second star to the right, then straight on ‘til morning — I know your whole family is going to be Hooked!
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS, THE NEWLY IMAGINED NATIONAL TOUR OF PETER PAN AUGUST 6-18, 2024; Based on SIR JAMES M. BARRIE’s classic tale and Originally Directed, Choreographed and Adapted by Broadway Legend JEROME ROBBINS, PETER PAN features an iconic and unforgettable Score by MORRIS (MOOSE) CHARLAP; Lyrics by CAROLYN LEIGH; Additional Lyrics by BETTY COMDEN, ADOLPH GREEN and AMANDA GREEN; Additional Music by JULE STYNE. Directed by LONNY PRICE, With Additional Book by LARISSA FASTHORSE and Choreography by LORIN LATARRO; Flying Sequences Choreographed by PAUL RUBIN; With Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements by ANDY EINHORN and Dance Arrangements by DAVID DABBON; Scenic Design by ANNA LOUIZOS; Costume Design by SARAFINA BUSH; Lighting Design by AMITH CHANDRASHAKER; Sound Design by KAI HARADA; Projections by DAVID BENGALI; Hair & Makeup by J. JARED JANAS; Fight Direction RICK SORDELET & CHRISTIAN KELLY-S0RDELET; Tinker Bell Design by PAUL KIEVE.
The Associate Director is MATT COWART, and the Associate Choreographer is TRAVIS WALDSCHMIDT; With Casting by ARC/DUNCAN STEWART; CSA and Additional Casting by MICHAEL DONOVAN CASTING. The production is licensed by MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL. The Tour is Produced by NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS; Executive Producer TRINITY WHEELER. The PETER PAN TOUR is Conducted by JONATHAN MARRO.
The Stage Management Team is led by MEGAN BELGAM with KENDALL STEVENS. The Company Management Team is led by LUKE MEYER with KYLE HESS. For more information, please visit peterpanontour.com. Tickets and more information are available at scfta.org
Chris Daniels
Arts & Entertainment Reviewer
The Show Report
Photo Credits: Matthew Murphy
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