Review: PETER PAN Panto at Pasadena Playhouse Less Charming

Peter Pan and Tinker Bell/A Pirate's Christmas/written by Kris Lythgoe/directed by Bonnie Lythgoe/Pasadena Playhouse/through January 3, 2016

For the last few years the uber talented Lythgoe family have been entertaining us at Christmastime, first at the El Portal in NoHo and now at the Pasadena Playhouse with a British style panto. A panto is an interactive entertainment that starts with a very contemporary retelling of a fairy tale such as Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or in this case Peter Pan and turns it into a fun imaginative show with music that will appeal to both children and their parents. There's usually an actor in drag - none here, and a villain (John O'Hurley as Captain Hook) ... and audience are encouraged to root for the heroes and HISS loudly at the villains. O'Hurley merely needs to turn on that magnificently malevolent voice to seize control of the audience, after which kids and adults boo and boo some more. It's all in amusement, of course, and this year's Peter Pan and Tinker Bell A Pirate's Christmas is all good fun with an excellent cast, some fine pop singing and fast-paced dancing... and, first and foremost, a pleasant script by Kris Lythgoe. I feel that some elements of the traditional Peter Pan telling should have been left in tact. To pull in the younger audience, Lythgoe went full blast with the electronic stuff and sight gags, thereby removing a lot of the quaint charm of the original.

Ian Wilson has created a fine set design for London and the Island with the Lost Boys, and there are beautiful costumes by Dana Neillie. Director Bonnie Lythgoe guides her entire ensemble of adults and children with a loving hand and choreographer Spencer Liff has the boys, pirates and Tiger Lily dancing wildly, some moving around uber swiftly with the help of nifty electronic footgear (PhunkeeDuck). The cast are all delightful. O'Hurley as Hook and his Smee (Parvesh Cheena) steal the show. Kevin Quinn makes an appropriately boyish Peter and Sabrina Carpenter an unusually stern Wendy with her Brenda Lee - like low-pitched almost gutteral singing voice. Chrissie Fit is the first Latina Tinker Bell. She's fun to watch and listen to, but the whole Tinker Bell angle left me wishing for more of the classic perspective, particularly where the kids applaud to bring Tink back to life. These are charming moments, and sadly, they have less of an effect here. Praise to Corey Fogelmanis as John, August Maturo as Michael Darling and to Nikki Soohoo for her spunky Tiger Lily. All the dancers and Kids (Gold and Green Teams) are terrific.

In spite of the fact that three of the pirates are doing amusing impersonations of superstar pop singers including Elvis and Michael Jackson (Ricky Jaime, Chris Jarosz and Mason Trueblood), the comedic aspect of the show is not up to past productions. Without actors in drag, the panto is not as strong and infectiously funny, in spite of O'Hurley's and Cheena's sterling endeavors. The commercially happy ending with Peter in a white sparkly wedding suit may bring immediate gasps of pleasure, but again J.M. Barrie's traditional ending is more fulfilling. It's OK to re-imagine Peter Pan, but don't take away all the charm, especially appreciated by us older kids.

There are some great 'oldie' pop tunes like "Nature Boy", "In the Navy" & contemp "Uptown Funk"and of course, delicious ballads like "Close to You", "Hooked on a Feeling" for O'Hurley to revel in, and "I'll Be There" ...a favorite with the adult audience. There's also the amazing Michael Orland conducting the orchestra. So despite the flaws, there's a lot to delight in. Bring the kids of all ages, and in the courtyard there's Santa, and some balloon making and painting activities to enthrall them before and after curtain time.

http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/

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