Peter Pan great start to Christmas season

J.M. Barrie’s beloved Peter Pan has hooked the hearts of children of all ages for more than 100 years. Children revel in the adventure and magic; adults enjoy it as a parable of lost youth with its darker psychological significance.

It’s a story that sweeps across vast arcs from small to big, from London to Neverland, from the tiny fairy Tinkerbell to the toothy, man-eating crocodile. And each adaptation has graced us with its charms.

In celebration of its 30th year in the community, St. Albert Children’s Theatre is gently jogging our memories with the Canadian premiere of George Stiles’ and Anthony Drewe’s faithful adaptation Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure playing at the Arden Theatre until Dec. 4.

Directed by artistic director Janice Flower, this production showcases high-flying wire spins, delightful chicanery, swashbuckling swordfights and a lush musical score that is superbly played by five professional musicians – Flower, Rachel Bowron, Ryan Sigurdson, Mike Lent and Brian Thurgood.

From the first song parading Edwardian society through London’s streets singing, There’s Something in the Air Tonight, the hackles rise on your neck. There is a sense of foreboding that something is different, that something is about to change.

Sure enough, when Peter Pan (Luc Tellier) floats onto the stage amidst delighted audience gasps to retrieve his lost shadow, it is easy for the fairy boy to persuade the maternal Wendy (Karina Cox) and her adventure-starved brothers, John (Max Aisenstat) and Michael (Madeline Reddick), to soar towards Neverland.

Once on the tropical planet inhabited by bumbling pirates, warrior Indian maids and sparkly mermaids, Wendy takes over as a self-assigned mother to the Lost Boys in their underground bunker.

And when Peter’s nemesis, the dastardly Captain Hook (David Wilson) kidnaps Wendy and the Lost Boys, the action between the two camps ramps up.

All fiendish men have a thorn in their side. Hook’s is a crocodile that ate his hand after Peter lopped it off. The unseen croc also swallowed a ticking clock that was never digested, and announces his arrival, much to Hook’s terror.

Wilson highlights his baddie credentials using swagger, rage and jealousy. But when he sings the tango-infused When I Kill Peter Pan, you can’t help but wonder if he too is a pathetic lost little boy.

Peter’s role is possibly one of the most difficult to cast. However, Tellier is perfect as a blend of cockiness and innocence, bravado and vulnerability. As the boy who never grows up, there is always a sense of fun and sprightliness around his deeds, even when the wily leader is charged with saving his friends from walking the plank.

Although there was less detail in the smaller roles, some stood out. Jarrett Krissa is delightful as the lap dog pirate Smee, Kajsa Wood as Mrs. Darling poignantly relays a mother’s pain at losing her child and Reddick as Michael is the show’s cute quotient.

Special kudos to set and prop designer Marissa Kochanski’s stylized, whimsical set of bold colours that beautifully doubles as the Lost Boy’s lair and a pirate ship. And Melissa Cuerrier’s riot of costumes brings out the playfulness of youth.

High-spirited and charming, Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure captures our dreams and self-doubts and is an endearing start to the Christmas season.