Spoiler Alert! Recap and Review: What Did We Learn from THE MAKING OF PETER PAN LIVE!?
By: Matt Tamanini Nov. 26, 2014
Tonight, NBC is pulling back the curtain on the upcoming PETER PAN LIVE! As BroadwayWorld recently reported, the MAKING OF PETER PAN LIVE! special will share secrets about the production, including how everybody's favorite fairy Tinkerbell will be created.
In addition, we will see behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage, including watching Peter himself, Allison Williams, learn how to fly, and Captain Hook, Christopher Walken practicing his sword-fighting.
BroadwayWorld will have wall-to-wall coverage of this exciting production, including tonight, as I will be live recapping the special from 8:00-9:00pm. Every new thing we learn, I will be letting you know. And as someone who grew up memorizing the Mary Martin version, I will try to add some insight into the changes that producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan have promised.
So, tune into NBC at 8:00pm and refresh this page often. Then, share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter @BWWMatt.
9:08: Between GLEE, SMASH, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! there has been a tendency for musical theatre fans to hate-watch everything Broadway related on television and to discuss their complaints ad nauseum on Twitter and Facebook. While I understand the desire to have everything that represents our community be perfect, I sincerely hope that this year, all theatre fans and professionals will appreciate this incredible opportunity to have live musical theatre broadcast into the homes of millions of families across the country.
This is the type of exciting programming that helps encourage and nurture the next generation of Kelli O'Haras, Christian Borles, Laura Benantis, Sutton Fosters, and Neil Patrick Harrises. This is the type of programming that we should be getting behind and supporting in every way possible.
With Fox's GREASE LIVE! scheduled for next year, and hopefully another Meron and Zadan production on NBC next December, the more people that tune into musical theatre on television, the more people will hopefully see a Broadway show, or even better, will support a theatre company in their hometown.
I know that I will be glued to my TV on December 4th (well, I am recapping and reviewing the show), and I am sure that I will love it even if Allison flies into the Darling house backwards, or if Brody doesn't push Michael at the right time, or if Walken decides to go all Walken on live TV, because I far prefer having musical theatre on TV to the alternative.
8:55: Final Rehearsals
Can you imagine doing all of that work for ONE performance? Ahhhhh, I'm nervous for them!
8:50: Designing Tinkerbell
In the older versions of the show, Tink was just a general ball of light. To see a more specific design and additional capabilities for the "character" is exciting. Who doesn't love a diva fairy? Because Tinkerbell is such an important character in the Disney universe, I think it was probably important for this creative team to make her more real. While it is quite clear that Craig, Neil, and Rob Ashford aren't beholden to any version of PETER PAN but their own, the comparisons between this version and Disney's will always be there.
8:47: Camera Blocking
So much of the conversation about SOUND OF MUSIC and PETER PAN is that it is like an actual Broadway show, but we forget that there are cameras intermingling with the cast. While it would be simple to film it as a traditional multi-camera show and stay out of the actors' way, but having them be a part of the choreography brings an extra level of interaction with the audience.
8:38: I know it has been reported already, but how cool is it that Amanda Green is working on updating a show that her father Adolph was a part of creating? There are dozens of Broadway lyricists that Meron and Zadan could have brought on board, but this decision is just another example that the Executive Producers not only understand the history of the show, but value it. If a live musical theatre production is going to continue to be a holiday tradition for years to come, these are the types of individuals that I want to be in charge.
8:36: Training the Dog
Was that Roger Rees training Brody the dog?
In the Mary Martin version that I grew up watching, Nana was a person in a shaggy dog costume. Now that they have brought in actual dog Brody to play the part, I am even more nervous for them. As Christian Borle has already said (and to paraphrase W.C. Fields) between the flying, the kids, and Walken it was already challenging enough, but to add in a live animal? That's dangerous and ambitious!
8:34: Flying to Neverland
I can only imagine how technically challenging the flying in PETER PAN is in one confined stage, then when you throw in the fact that they are doing it on a multiple set soundstage... I'm nervous for them.
8:32: I love seeing so much Neil Meron on the show, but where is Craig?
8:30: How cool is it to see that these actors with Broadway, TV, and movie experience got so excited to see the
sets for the first time? It reminds you a bit that while this is their job, there is still something very magical about theatre, be it on stage or screen.
After seeing the scary ONCE UPON A TIME version of Neverland last season, it is cool to see such a colorful version for PETER PAN LIVE!. I'm a little worried that the colors are going to look too bright and might come off as cartoonish (or even Wonka-ish) live on TV, but what we were shown tonight was truly beautiful.
8:25: Recording the Music
The scoring is something that I hadn't really yet thought about. I would love it if they used a live orchestra, but I can only imagine what technical and logistical issues that might cause.
8:20: I remember seeing Fat Boy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" video for the first time, and being completely confused that the guy who told the watch story in PULP FICTION was actually a trained dancer. While it's been 13 years since that video was released, I am really interested in seeing "the dancingest Captain Hook" ever.
8:17: In nearly all other versions of PETER PAN The Musical, the actor who plays Mr. Darling also plays Captain Hook, but I can't imagine anyone better to play Mr. Smee than Christian Borle (who also is playing Mr. Darling).
8:12: After the controversy surrounding the casting of Rooney Mara for the movie PAN, I think it says a lot about Meron and Zadan that casting a Tiger Lily of Native American descent was important to them. In an interview that will be published on BroadwayWorld on Friday, Alanna Saunders told me how important that decision was for her.
8:08: "I think Hook is going to be a lot like me." That is the actual definition of Christopher Walken's acting method. Every character he takes on becomes him, because he is a character. I know that I wouldn't want it any other way.
8:05: Wait, Allison Williams told Jake and John that they got the jobs? So cool! I think I might have gotten a tear or two in my eyes!
8:03: The Casting of John and Michael Darling
How cool to see the casting of the boys. This is something we normally only get to see on SUBMISSIONS ONLY!
7:55pm: I realize that I am probably far more excited about PETER PAN LIVE! than any 33-year-old man should be, but I'm not really sorry. As I said above, I grew up with a VHS copy of one of the Mary Martin versions of PETER PAN, and my brother, sister, and I knew every word. So, when the announcement was made in January that PETER PAN would be the follow-up to the massive success of THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! I was equal parts excited and hesitant.
The show held a special place in my heart, but we already had multiple television versions of the show, so what would another add?
My anxiety about the project was only increased with the announcement of Allison Williams as Peter. Other than vaguely knowing that Brian's daughter was on HBO's hit comedy GIRLS, I knew very little about her. Seeing her after the announcement, I thought she was too pretty, too tall, too feminine to play Peter. Yes, as I learned from YouTube research, she sang well enough to play the part, but how in the world was she going to come off as the boy that refused to grow up?
However, as Ms. Williams has begun to make the media rounds, any reservations that I might have had have quickly disappeared. Not only is Allison beautiful and talented, she is also charming, grounded, and utterly adorable. While Meron and Zadan opted for a superstar to headline THE SOUND OF MUSIC, (and all musical theatre fans should be grateful to Carrie Underwood for starting this tradition) I think this time instead, they are creating one.
Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood | NBC
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