Review: PETER PAN at Orpheum Memphis

"I have a place where dreams are born, And time is never planned.
It's not on any chart, You must find it with your heart.
Never Never Land." 

These are some of the first lyrics that made me fall in love with musical theatre. I have been a fan of Peter Pan as long as I can remember, and was always jumping around my room, trying to fly. When I worked at Walt Disney World, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell were my favorite characters to work with, and before I left Disney, I got a tattoo of Peter's shadow, to always remind me to embrace my inner child. It is a tale that stays with us, a timeless classic of magic and truth. There are many adaptations of the tale of the boy who would never grow up, and this production is without a doubt the most interesting that I have ever seen. If you are a fan of the classic Peter Pan, you may be disappointed. That being said, the updated version is not necessarily a bad thing. The biggest thing to me was having a male portray Peter Pan. Since its opening on Broadway in 1954 with Mary Martin as the title role, a female has always portrayed the role of Peter Pan, which I always found strange and a little frustrating. After Martin, Sandy Duncan stepped in for the 1979 production and later, Cathy Rigby flew onto Broadway in 1990. Nolan Almeida is the first male to portray Pan and he does not disappoint. 

Peter Pan was actually written in 1904 by a playwright named J.M. Barrie. The character first appeared in Barrie's The Little White Bird which was a novel for adults. In 1911, he released a novelization of it, entitled Peter and Wendy. Since then, there have been countless adaptations of the story, including television, animation, and various music. He has become a universal symbol of youthful innocence and an escape from the real world. The musical, which opened on Broadway in October of 1954, opens with Peter Pan visiting the Darling household to listen to stories told by the daughter, Wendy. Facing the prospect of having to grow up, Wendy escapes to Neverland with Peter and her brothers, John and Michael. In Neverland, they meet fantastical characters such as the sassy pixie Tinkerbell, the fierce Tiger Lily, and the dreaded pirate and Peter's nemesis, Captain Hook. 

To say this production has been updated is a bit of an understatement. It is a far cry from what we know and love. The production opens with Wendy and John recording a dance so they can go viral. Wendy goes on about how she yearns to grow up so she can have adventures. It's all rather strange but we do still have the classic tunes that the show is known for, such as "I Won't Grow Up" and "Neverland". The songs are lovely and the actors do a wonderful job but the dialogue seems to fall a little flat. There is very little chemistry between the characters and the age of Wendy is a little jarring at first. I felt like this particular update (being that Wendy wants to grow up) sort of took away from her original character. Wendy does not want to grow up and that is the whole reason she escapes to Neverland. It is a turning point in the story when she decides later, she must indeed grow up and asks for Peter to return her to her home. I wasn't really a fan of all of the changes but again, that doesn't mean the actors did not do a wonderful job. 

Nolan Almeida has to be praised for his portrayal of Peter Pan, if only for the sheer athleticism of singing while doing tumbles in midair. His voice is smooth and lovely and I found myself tearing up during my favorite classic, "Neverland". Cody Garcia (who you might remember as Willy Wonka in the production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) does an incredible job as the fierce but sassy Captain Hook. Their comedic timing combined with their flowing high notes make for a hilarious and enjoyable experience. Next to them is their lovable sidekick, Smee, played by Kurt Perry. Smee does not have a huge amount of grand moments but Perry's comedic timing and even physical comedy make audience's eyes go to him when he is on the stage. Garcia also does a great job making their portrayal of Mr. Darling vastly different from Hook, which is refreshing. 

The ensemble, that is the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily's followers (another change from the original adaptation, though this is a welcome one. The characters are no longer referred to as the Indians and Tiger Lily is a breath of fresh air from the stereotypical portrayal we have seen in the past. Knowing her actor identifies as mixed Indigenous is also pretty incredible) as well as the Pirates all have great moments that make them stand out though they do an excellent job working in unison to carry the scene. Possibly the most refreshing change to see is the song "Uggawug" being turned into a number that celebrates unity and friendship. The newly titled "Friends Forever" is where Peter, Wendy, and Tiger Lily attempt to unite their two groups and become "stronger together". It's a great moment where the story defies racism and hate, instead embracing coexistence and harmony. It's also fun to see the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily's company coming together and making a vow of friendship. They do this through dance of course, and Lorin Latarro's choreography is a fun mixture of "I'll teach you" and "learning together" which is enjoyable to watch. 

Another interesting update is the relationship between Wendy and Tiger Lily. Hawa Kamara, who portrays Wendy and Raye Zaragoza (who portrays Tiger Lily through November 30th) have some fun chemistry and quite literally gossip and become girlfriends through their mutual "attraction" to Peter Pan ( I use the term loosely as Tiger Lily says she dislikes him but the whole thing seems very "I'm bullying you because I like you" kind of thing) As I said before, the character of Tiger Lily has been updated and it is nice to see another strong female presence, and even hear another strong female presence. Tiger Lily isn't known to have a lot of depth to her character in the previous adaptations but Zaragoza brings a certain amount of strength and power to her and I absolutely loved that. 

All in all, Peter Pan makes for a fun family night. It was really incredible to see so many children in the audience, knowing it might have been their first experience with live theatre. The sets and projections make Neverland that much more real and you'll experience magic firsthand when Peter soars through the air. 

Your whole family will be Hooked on Peter Pan, soaring through Memphis skies through December 1st. Get your tickets and fly on down to the Orpheum today. And remember... 

"Never Grow Up!" 

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