Getting hooked on Peter Pan

It's the time of year for make-believe and fairy dust, and as St. Albert Children's Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary, it is going full tilt to recreate the enchanting wonder of childhood.

For this year's winter production, the 38-member theatre troupe is whisking audiences to the island of Never Land with the boy who never grew up.

Artistic director Janice Flower has pulled a rabbit out of a hat and secured the rights to perform the Canadian premiere of Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure running Nov. 24 to Dec. 4 at the Arden Theatre.

While past Peter Pan models have required a female lead, this interpretation makes way for a male in the title role. Luc Tellier (High School Musical/Willy Wonka) plays the charming rapscallion while David Wilson (Beauty and the Beast) is his evil nemesis, Captain Hook.

"I am really stoked. It's been a dream my whole life to play Peter Pan. But I didn't think I'd ever get to play it because traditionally it's played by a female," says Tellier, 18, a first-year University of Alberta student. He plays Peter as a 15-year-old.

"Having a male lead really gives the central character a new level of depth. It's one thing for a girl to play the youth. But when you have a boy, it adds a whole new level of adventure."

And magical exploits of derring-do were exactly what Flower was trying to conjure in mounting Sir James M. Barrie's enduring tale. It is reborn as a spectacular musical by the late Willis Hall, and George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the British creative team that originated HONK!, Just So and the current Broadway hit Mary Poppins.

"I was looking for something special when this opening came up," Flower says. "Peter Pan is one of those stories that's timeless. Here we are 100 years later and it's still popular and has been told in many different ways. Disney has a movie and an animation. Mary Martin played it for years on Broadway and everyone knows Robin Williams in Hook."

Once again the characters are the stuff of dreams – fanciful mermaids, pirates, fairies, Indian maidens and Lost Boys. This new rendition promises breathtaking flying scenes, swashbuckling action, energetic swordplay, gargantuan sets, vivid costumes and indelible songs.

Since Flower was hired in 1986, first as music director before receiving a promotion to artistic director, high quality compositions have played a key role in her selections.

She describes Stiles and Drewe as composers that do more than put a tune together.

"The songs are memorable. It's not run-of-the-mill stock music theatre. They have a style like Stephen Sondheim. When they construct a show, the music is very accessible."

Some reviewers have described the duo's style as similar to Gilbert and Sullivan as opposed to the more saccharin Disney catalogue North Americans are accustomed to.

"Their writing reminds me of Lucky Stiff. Each of their songs is different. They are very eclectic. Not every song sounds the same."

Karina Cox, 16, who embodies Wendy, adds her enthusiasm to the mix.

"The music is incredible. It's so conversational. It's the epitome of originality."

Flying high

When SACT first staged Peter Pan in 1991 with Chris Bowlen in the title role, the young actor developed cold sweats flying 14 metres into the air.

However, Tellier has no fear of the bird's eye view.

"I'm really excited about it. I'm more scared for the physical demands of singing two songs while I'm up in the air. It will be a real challenge," he says.

To offset problems, Flying By Foy has been contracted to provide the flying systems. The first choice of Broadway producers, Foy systems has provided aerial support for numerous shows from Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang and Fiddler on the Roof to Beauty and the Beast and Man of La Mancha.

This weekend representatives from the Las Vegas office will arrive with three storage cases of tracks and specially rated rigging with built-in aircraft cable for added support.

Underneath costumes, a thin harness will strapped onto four characters – Peter, Wendy, Michael and John. Nearly invisible cables will be hooked onto the back of their attire.

"It's a normal safety harness. But when you're flying people, you try to make everything as slender and small as possible," says Adam Mitchell, production manager for St. Albert's Cultural Services Department.

During the actual run, a crew of five will use human strength to operate the straightforward mechanical rope, pulley and wire system.

"With some modifications, it's the same system that was used 50 years ago during Mary Martin's Peter Pan."

For the next four days, cast and crew will receive training and spend time orienting themselves with the equipment and refining the flight choreography.

"This is a well-oiled machine. The crew is well-versed and we will be able to adjust for small problems."

Costume designer Melissa Cuerrier knew from the start flying was a show mainstay. Familiar with three other Peter Pan productions, she designed the flying costumes with added volume to accommodate the harness.

Generally the harness is looped around the actor's shoulders, chest, hips and thighs.

"They're not comfortable. They chafe. They squish. They tie them tight," says Cuerrier.

A graduate of both the University of Alberta's BFA design program and MacEwan University's theatre production, she has a distinct vision that departs from traditional fare.

"I want to evoke clarity in childhood before it gets muddied as an adult."

Peter, for instance, is dressed in a green body suit, brown leather shorts, boots and a tunic. Instead of a jaunty cap, he wears fake feathers and leaves clipped to his hair.

The palette for Never Land's costumes is prismatic, bright and vivid whereas the more sophisticated clothing of Edwardian London is like a post-impressionist painting coloured in a muted tint.

Mitchell describes the entire show as "bigger than life. It is one of those timeless tales that is truly about theatre magic. There are only so many shows about make-believe and make-believe is what we're doing here."

Providing accompaniment for the cast is a live five-piece band under the direction of musical director Rachel Bowron. The musicians include Bowron (keyboard), Flower (piano), Ryan Sigurdson (keyboard), Mike Lent (bass) and Brian Thurgood (percussion).

For more information visit www.sact.ca.