Miller 3

Jordan MillerM07366988Theatre History 11:15am Bob Pavlovich

WRIGHT STATES PETER PAN

Walking into the theater, after seeing CCMs production of the same show just weeks before, I wasnt sure what to expect. I didnt want to compare this production to CCM, but it was very hard not to. Once I sat in my seat (the best seat in the house) I looked at the stage which revealed a map of Neverland. The map was painted onto a drop, but with the lights, it made it magical. I wasnt sure of what they had in store, but once the conductor began the overture, it was off to Neverland!Peter Pan (Musical) is a musical based off of both James Matthew Barries play Peter Pan and his novel, Peter and Wendy. The musical is full of adventure and wonder. It takes place in early 1900 London and it follows Peter Pan, a noble boy who never wants to grow up, the Darling children and their journey to Neverland. In the beginning, Peter comes to the Darling house at night, looking for his shadow. Peter finds his shadow, but also finds himself taking the Darling children (Wendy, John and Michael) back to Neverland with him. Peter wishes Wendy to be a mother to himself and the Lost Boys. During the course of the musical, Peter, Wendy, Michael and John find conflict involving pirates and Native Americans. The musical is a true coming of age story that can touch both young and the young at heart.I would like to start by touching on some of the differences between Wright States production and CCMs production. First, Wright State decided to cut the show into two acts, making for a shorter show. I dont blame them. CCMs production was wonderful, but Peter Pan is a long, three act show. The cuts made were done with taste and I could hardly tell what they had removed from the show. In this production, there was a lot less dancing, but when they did dance they attempted to make it extravagant. It seemed as if some of the choreography was a little too complicated for some of the performers and done with very little technique. In Wright States production, I got to watch Junior Musical Theatre Major, Alyson Snyder portray Peter Pan. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Senior CCM MT, Hannah Zazzaro and Junior CCM MT, Clara Cox both give wonderful portrayals of Peter Pan, so after seeing Alysons performance I couldnt help but feel disappointed and left wanting more. Alysons singing was pretty good, but lacked the vocals needed to play a role such as Peter Pan. For example, there were certain parts in her songs that should have been in head voice when she belted them and then parts that needed to be mixed when she sang it in head voice, not to mention her lack of breath support and yelling she tried to pass off as acting. I just expected more out of a Junior Musical Theatre Major. In this case, it was very easy for her to be outshined by her supporting actors. In my opinion Captain Hook stole the show. He did an amazing job at being this hilarious, frightening villain. He did so well, the child sitting behind me couldnt wait for the next time he would be on stage. Another actor I thought shined was Bailey Rose, Junior Musical Theatre Major who played Wendy. She did a great job at capturing Wendys mother-like characteristics. The actors portraying Michael and John, they seemed to fall in the shadows, which could have been a result of poor blocking. All except for Captain Hooks noticeably fake wig, Id have to say that the costumes in this production were appropriate and stayed true to the traditional Peter Pan. The Darling Children all looked identical to the cartoon movie version. I dont know what their budget for their set was, but they worked with what they had. The setup of the Darling house was great, but other scenes that included the pirate ship and Peter Pans hide out looked nothing short of a high school production. The lighting definitely succeeded in helping the audience focus on key characters when dramatic events took place. The technical side of the musical enhanced the story to a certain degree. The flying was a great effect, but the effect was tainted by the obvious cords and noisy system used to make the actors fly. In conclusion, the show wasnt in any way bad, but there were definitely spots that needed to be improved. Although some of the individual performances might have been off, the whole cast still did a great job at telling the story and taking us on that wild ride through Neverland. I could tell by the smiles on their faces, that they were proud of their work. I could tell that they put their all into their performance and because of that, they had a successful production.