Staff Report
“Peter Pan,” a PCPA musical the entire family can enjoy, is playing in Santa Maria’s Marian Theatre from Nov. 8 through Dec. 23.
Based on the J.M. Barrie classic tale, the Tony Award-winning show is full of magic, warmth, and adventure, making it one of the most beloved stories for the stage of all time. Peter and his mischievous fairy sidekick, Tinkerbell, visit the nursery of the Darling children late one night and, with a sprinkle of pixie dust, begin a magical adventure of a lifetime. The travelers come face to face with a ticking crocodile, a fierce Neverland tribe, and a band of bungling pirates led by the villainous Captain Hook.
The cast features acting intern Chynna Walker as Peter Pan, George Walker as Mr. Darling/Captain Hook, Emily Task as Mrs. Darling/Grown-Up Wendy, Amani Dorn as Smee, Peter S. Hadres as Starkey, Andrew Philpot as Noodler, Yusef Seevers as Cecco, and Katie Fuchs-Wackowski as Tiger Lily. The Darling children are second-year actor Madison Davis as Wendy with young performers Maddie Almaguer and Beck Mortensen as John and Joss Robertson and Claire Guyader as Michael. Conservatory acting students round out the cast.
The creative team is under the direction of Artistic Director Mark Booher with Assistant Director Kitty Balay.
This musical has been performed around the world for more than 60 years. Barrie’s Peter Pan character first appeared in a novel, “The Little White Bird,” in 1902. It was transformed into an inventive work for the stage in 1904 as “Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up.”
Booher said that PCPA’s Peter Pan will deliver a highly immersive and personal experience to the audience.
“The designers are creating an environment so that the actors and the audience can have the most lively interchange possible. Our audience is going to be in contact with the play in a way that we don’t often get to experience. So much of the play is going to happen right out with the audience,” explained Booher. Among other things, Peter Pan and the Darling children are going to fly.
An important goal, he added, has been to create an environment where children, young and old, can show up and be aroused by a sense of magic.
Tickets are available online at www.pcpa.org.
