Peter Pan Live Whisks Us All Off to Neverland
I love seeing live renditions of Disney movies, like Aladdin when it rolled through San Diego a few months ago. I was equally excited to see Peter Pan as it came to town to close out this season of San Diego Broadway.
While the show takes on the same plot of Peter Pan flying into Wendy Darling’s room and taking her and her brothers, Michael and John, off to Neverland, the show’s approach is much more modern, much more racially inclusive, and fortunately much more gay.
Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan (center) and the cast of Peter Pan. Photo Matthew Murphy.
What’s Different About the Live Peter Pan?
Plot-wise, there really isn’t much difference in the lie rendition of Peter Pan as opposed to the classic version as seen on Disney. That said, actor Kenny Ramos also noted the difference in approach as the crew observed the harmful racial stereotypes in the original movie.
At a panel discussion after the show, Ramos, who plays a character created just for him called Acoma, said, “ The way that native people are situated in Neverland amongst fantastical things like mermaids and pirates has historically caused so much harm to Native communities in terms of how other people see us. It's an extreme racial stereotype, whether it's a Disney film or pretty much any iteration. It’s historically become more difficult to produce, especially in today's day and age as conversations around race and equity continue.”
Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan, Hawa Kamara as Wendy. Photo Matthew Murphy.
Outside of having less harmful Indigenous representation, Wendy is also portrayed by Black actress Hawa Kamara, whereas Peter and John are played by Asian-American actors William Foon and Camden Kwok. Additionally, non-binary actor Cody Garcia takes on the role of Captain Hook and delivers one of the most iconic performances I’ve ever seen from the character.
What’s the Music Like?
I’ll be honest, none of the songs really stood out or got stuck in my mind once the show was over. I don’t mean that in a bad way, per se, it’s just that I was actually more interested and in tune with the storyline and the set design. The set design in particular was impeccable, especially in the forested sections of Neverland, and I have no idea how the crew manages to pack that all up and transport it all from show to show.
One of the main areas of our curiosity prior to the show was how the flying scenes would occur. We met Peter Pan, played by 17-year-old Nolan Almeida, as he flew onto the stage surrounded by fairy dust. While you can see little hints of the strings, the way the actors are hooked on and off of them is very subtle. It’s also impressive that none of the strings get tied up on each other as the actors fly about, spinning and intermingling along the way.
Fans of Tinkerbell may also do well to put aside at least a little bit of love for her, because her character only exists as a tiny little light that flies about on the stage.
What About Peter Pan’s Shadow?
One of the most memorable aspects of Peter Pan is him losing his shadow, which is how we initially meet him once he enters into the Darling children’s bedroom. This was done very well on the show, despite the fact that it’s impossible to actually remove Almeida’s shadow from his real body.
That said, there’s still a version of his shadow that dances along with him as we meet the shadow, which was also recorded by Almeida prior to the show’s run. Captain of choreography and swing in the show Bailey Frankenberg noted at the panel that he recorded it when he was 16 and has to constantly realign himself with what he did and how he did it. Even though now he’s done the show a number of times and has a different view of the character, he still has to stick to his original dance.
Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan makes his entrance. Photo Matthew Murphy.
Fellow dance captain and swing Tony Collins added, “Whenever it was choreographed, it was based on his personality and what he brought to the role at that time. Then it's very tricky at that time, he was 16. Now, how he thinks about the role and performs the role a year later is different because his view on life is changing because he’s a growing teenager.”
How Do They Keep Up With the Kids?
Anytime a Broadway show has children involved, there’s a whole mess of things going on behind the scenes that we never think about. We learned a little about this at the actor chat back for MJ: The Musical, but it’s just as difficult in a show like Peter Pan, if not even more difficult due to the number of minors involved.
Apart from the schooling that has to continue to take place and some of the labor laws the show runs into, part of the intent behind casting is to cast the youngest, Michael, with the intent of him growing into the ability to play John, with the intent to also potentially turn that role into the main one of Peter as the actor gets older. There’s also puberty that comes into the mix every so often, so everything involving the children is handled with the utmost care.
Micah Turner Lee as John, Reed Epley as Michael, Hawa Kamara as Wendy, Nolan Almeida as Peter Pan. Photo Matthew Murphy.
So Is It Worth Seeing This All on Stage?
I truthfully think this would have done just as well if it were a straight-up stage play instead of a musical, but it’s definitely worth checking out whenever you get a chance to. It runs at the Civic Theater in San Diego through August 4, and you can purchase your tickets here.
