by Michael Buzzelli
With a sprinkle of fairy dust and plenty of happy thoughts, we’re off to Neverland in a slightly more modernized version of Sir J. M. Barrie’s iconic classic “Peter Pan.”
Wendy Darling (Aubrey-Mei Rubel) thinks she’s old enough to care for her younger brothers, John (Owen Suarez) and Michael (Zaynn Arora), instead of the blink-and-you-miss-her babysitter, Liza (Hannah Schmidt), her parents (Shefali Deshpande and Cody Garcia) have hired.
The moment Mr. & Mrs. Darling step out of the room, Peter Pan (Kruz Maldonado) flies in [It’s a high-flying spectacular entrance, complete with sparkling fairy dust shimmering over the set].
Soon, after a bit of business with Pan and his ornery shadow, Peter convinces Wendy and her siblings to fly off on an adventure.
Sci-Fi Side note: The journey to Neverland (beautifully rendered with projection design by David Bengali) is a phantasmagorical, reminiscent of Ant-Man’s plunge into the Quantum Realm in the Marvel movies. Neverland even has a time dilation like the Quantum Realm.
Pan and the Darlings arrive in Neverland, which is filled with Lost Boys, a displaced tribe of the 500 nations, fairies, pirates and crocodiles.
Peter battles and then befriends Tiger Lily (Bailey Frankenberg). Then, the Lost Boys team up against Hook (Cody Garcia in a dual role) and his dysfunctional and dimwitted band of pirates.
Side note: This band of pirates is even gayer than the pirates in HBO Max series “This Flag Means Death,” which is quite a rainbow-colored accomplishment.
This production is magical. There’s a double entendre or two, even playful sexual innuendo, but most of those jokes will fly higher over the young audience’s heads higher than Pan himself.
Malonado is a marvelous Pan. He prances, dances and displays exquisite aerial acrobatics. He has a sonorous singing voice and can crow with the best of the Pans.
Hook is the one to watch. Garcia is chewing up Anna Louizos’ beautifully constructed scenery. Every entrance is an instant giggle.
His right-hand man, Smee (Kurt Perry), is delightful. He’s simpering and cowering. A cross between Charles Nelson Reilly’s Claymore Gregg on “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” and Jonathan Harris’s Dr. Zachary Smith in “Lost in Space.”
Arora is adorable as Michael.
The aforementioned projection design and the scenery make this a must-see “Peter Pan” production. It’s captivating from Pan’s glorious entrance until the croc swallows Hook (we don’t call Spoiler Alerts on 120-year-old stories).
There’s some terrific fight and dance choreo by Paul Rubin and Lorin Latarro. There’s only one hummable song, “I Won’t Grow Up,” but the other songs are fun, jaunty tunes, wonderfully executed by Jonathan Marro’s orchestra.
Director Lonny Price goes full on tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top spectacle, and its theatrical nirvana.
Larissa Fasthorse revised and updated the story from Barrie’s original. The playwright makes some bold choices in the beginning with some modern updates (Wendy wants to be a TikToker, and tries to go to bed with her iPad at her side), but makes a wise decision to leave out Nana the dog and replace the canine (sometimes a person in a costume) with an actual babysitter.
There’s a weird “Tricks are for Kids” sort of ending, where Wendy, as an adult, is too old to fly off with Pan. Peter takes her daughter Jane (Zanie Love Shaia) instead.
During the entire production, Peter Pan is pulling on your inner child and screaming, “Come out to play!” It’s a magical ride for children and for those of us who refuse to grow up completely.
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“Peter Pan” runs April 1 to April 6 at the Benedum Center for Performing Arts, 7th and Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For tickets and additional information, click here.
