Review: PETER PAN at The Paramount Theatre

Dear Readers, I’m of two minds in reviewing this revised production of “Peter Pan” currently playing at the Paramount.  First as a season ticket holder who came to the show with no kids and wants a quality musical, I question the inclusion of this in the season and find it not all that great, but from the viewpoint of a kids show, it has its merits.

It’s still the same old Peter Pan to an extent.  It’s still J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of innocence, fairies, pirates, and a boy who refuses to grow up.  And much of the classic Morris (Moose) Charlap, Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, And Jule Styne songs are there.  “Never Never Land”, “I Won’t Grow up”, and “I’m Flying” to name a few.  I remember those from the tour with Cathy Rigby from years ago with fondness.  But not all is the same in the Darling Nursery or in Never Never Land.

With an updated book by Larissa FastHorse and some new to the show songs from other Comden and Green shows, we’re in a more modern Pan.  First and most importantly, the “Indians” on the island are now a group of diverse peoples, and the last of their tribes trying to retain their cultures.  And the highly problematic “Ugg-a-Wugg” song is gone.  But sadly, that’s not where the changes end.  We’re no longer in Victorian London but Modern Day America.  Wendy wants to grow up fast and be a doctor, but, as the show opens, is busily trying to make a viral video with the latest dance challenge.  The beloved nanny dog Liza is now just a babysitter who’s constantly on her phone.  She does have dog paw prints on her coat, so there’s that.  I guess we can’t fathom the dog as a nanny anymore, they even make a joke about it.  But a flying boy who whisks the kids off to a magical island is perfectly reasonable.  And all the Darling kids are more modern, especially the teen Wendy (Hawa Kamara), but still squeal at the thought of fairies.  Seriously, pick a lane.  And for Pete’s sake, Captain Hook needs to stop referring to Tiger Lily as TL.

The show does have its merits.  Plenty of kids were delighted by the pirate antics and the Tick Tock Crocodile (no, the croc was not on the app TikTok.  He swallowed a clock).  And the cast has some wonderful stand outs.  Nolan Almeida as Peter has some incredible stage presence and is able to captivate all when he’s on stage.  His voice was gorgeous, and his flying routines were awesome and felt second nature to him.  I’m not entirely certain he wasn’t Peter Pan.  I found Cody Garcia as the vile Captain Hook to be loads of fun.  His lithe frame allowed for some killer physical antics and he’s just plain enjoyable to watch.  And I must mention Raye Zaragoza who lent some fantastic pipes to the leader, Tiger Lily. 

And the rest of the ensemble were fine, but I honestly found many of the group numbers to be sloppy and not all that complicated.  The choreography from Lorin Latarro felt simplistic and overly long.  Which was kind of a theme for much of the show.  Too many reprises, too many refrains, and too much extraneous elements in the scenes.  For a kids show, it should be concerned with time and the 2 hour and 10 minute run time could have been brought down with some well-placed cuts. 

Overall, the show was pretty to look at and had some moments but seemed to have been brought into modern day for no reason.  But then, lots of kids around me were giggling and having a good time.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give “Peter Pan” at the Paramount two ratings.  Under the eye of a bit of theatrics I give it an overly long and unnecessarily updated MEH.  But for those giggling kids, I’m sure it was a YAY-.  I guess you just need to know your audience.  And that audience was not me.

“Peter Pan” performs at the Paramount Theatre through August 25th.  For tickets or information visit Seattle Theatre Group online at www.stgpresents.org.

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