Review: PETER PAN Presented by Broadway Across America at Kentucky Performing Arts

Peter Pan is a classic story I venture to think most people know: the story of three siblings whisked off to Neverland by a boy who won’t grow up, where they have adventures and fight pirates. The Disney version is the most famous, but the stage version has been performed for decades. A new national tour embarked last year and has finally come to Louisville. 

When I write reviews, I always try to be honest without being scathing if something isn’t for me. I’m sad to say this production just wasn’t my cup of tea for many reasons; mainly the book, which has been rewritten. While Larissa FastHorse is a wonderful playwright (I recommend Thanksgiving Play), she really missed the mark here in a baffling way. The show opens with Wendy and John doing TikTok dances in front of an iPad, a teenage babysitter is introduced for a throwaway joke, and many of the gags and jokes are groan-worthy. One admirable thing she does do is try to fix the character of Tiger Lily for modern audiences, but, while it was a good effort, it just doesn’t really work to have her and Peter go from enemies to besties without any real depth about the topics mentioned relating to native individuals. 

The cast is doing their best with a poor book and direction (by Lonny Price), but even still there were only moments of real excellence throughout the evening. Kruz Maldonado is doing a fine job as Peter. He has a lovely voice, but I still maintain having a woman play Peter would be much more fun. Cody Garcia makes a lot of big choices as Hook, chewing every bit of scenery to mixed results, but he did bring a lot of energy to a story that can feel middling. I also must shout out Kurt Perry as Smee, who is taking a small role and making a meal out of it; his comedic timing is impeccable. 

To focus on the good, the set design is pretty great for a tour, with the nursery transitioning into Neverland and then into a ship. It worked well and was very pleasing to the eye. One of the biggest bits of fun in Peter Pan is the wire work for flying, and I have to say those sequences were done very well. The audience was dialed in during those moments, and the blend of the wire work with the stage combat was very thrilling at times.

Again, I don’t love writing “bad” reviews, and while there were a handful of things to admire about Peter Pan, for the most part it missed the mark for me. If you have kids it’ll be pleasant enough, but if you miss this one while it’s in town, don’t lose any sleep over it, as I wish it was a more magical experience.

PETER PAN

Running Now - March 30th

Whitney Hall at Kentucky Performing Arts