Andrew Lloyd Webber’s streaming shows circled around to this one, which, I have to say, isn’t as bad as I’ve heard it was. If that sounds like faint praise, it’s because it is – it’s not really good, but it’s not dreadful. (Although, throughout, I did think of the SNL sketch about it, in which Cecily Strong plays Allison Williams’s Peter going on about her “shapely boy legs.” Ha!)
When Peter Pan flies into the nursery of the three Darling children in search of his shadow, he takes Wendy, John, and Michael on a fantastic trip to Never-Neverland, where children never grow up. There, he inducts John and Michael into his clan of Lost Boys and looks to Wendy to be their new mother. But the children’s adventure is imperiled by Captain Hook and his band of pirates, who’ve sworn revenge on Peter.
Maybe it’s just been way too long since I saw anything Peter Pan-related, but I don’t think, as an adult, I was previously aware of what a bummer this adventure is for Wendy. She has an obvious crush on Peter, and I think he kind of likes her that way too (even if he doesn’t fully get what that means,) but while the Lost Boys are running around being wild and having fun, she’s brought in for the thankless role of being their “new mother.” She’s the one trying to teach them manners and keep them from breaking their necks, with the boys constantly complaining and treating her like a buzzkill. In particular, Peter repeatedly insists that the boys listen to what she says but then undermines her himself the next minute. If I were Wendy, that part of the adventure would be way more depressing than the being-kidnapped-by-pirates part, not to mention receiving the scorn of a jealous fairy. She doesn’t appear to mind all that – the portrayal is very much in the vein of a Victorian “Angel of the House” type – but it really stood out to me.
For the most part, I’d say this production is aggressively mediocre. The sets and costumes are nice, the singing is mostly okay (with a few exceptions on either end of the spectrum,) and the crocodile is a lot of fun. Good bits with the Lost Boys too, and some humorous pirate antics. Kids would probably have a good time.
Christopher Walken, as was said ad nauseum when this came out, is the definite weak link as Captain Hook. Almost no energy, and barely any attempt at singing or dancing. Allison Williams as Peter is definitely game, and her singing is fine, but while you can tell she’s aiming at playing a mischievous boy, it doesn’t quite land for me. It’s the minor roles that get more of my attention, largely because they’re played by Broadway actors who clearly know their way around. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t given an overabundance of material to work with. Taylor Louderman (Campbell from Bring It On) gets the job done as Wendy, Christian Borle is a delightful Smee (he also doubles as Mr. Darling,) and Kelli O’Hara projects warmth in her brief appearance as Mrs. Darling. Watching it, I couldn’t help wondering how much better it might’ve been with Louderman as Peter and Borle as Hook – hey, Borle already played that character (and won a Tony for it!) in Peter and the Starcatcher. For these first few live musicals, NBC definitely aimed more for name actors in the bigger roles, but since then, they’ve taken more chances on less-famous actors with proven theatrical talent. If only….
Finally, I have to mention that Tiger Lily and her tribe, while not going for the full-on unfortunate Rooney Mara-esque route that Pan took, appear to be cast as ambiguously brown rather than indigenous. Hardly surprising, but still disappointing.
Warnings
Maybe a few scary moments for kids, a little drinking, and reductive gender politics.
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