“This 'Peter Pan' doesn't fly straight - Chicago Sun-Times”

This 'Peter Pan' doesn't fly straight - Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: 02 Nov 2010 01:50 AM PDT

THEATER REVIEW | Lookingglass fails to make magic onstage

November 2, 2010

Adaptations of classic stories rank as some of the best work Lookingglass Theatre has done over the years. These have ranged from Charles Dickens ("Hard Times," "The Old Curiosity Shop") and Fyodor Dostoyevsky ("The Brothers Karamazov") to George Orwell ("1984") and Lewis Carroll ("Lookingglass Alice").

Now the company has turned its creative eye to J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The story of the boy who refuses to grow up is directed with flourishes of darkness and light by Lookingglass newcomer Amanda Dehnert. The story is familiar to nearly everyone, and Dehnert tries hard to capture new dimensions of the exciting dreamlike nature of childhood, contrasting that with the stark realities of adulthood.

Outfitted in Melissa Torchia's ragamuffin Victorian costumes, the large cast of adult actors tries hard to morph into a childlike state. But don't be fooled -- this is not a production for young children (12 and older is the suggested age). Yes, there is innocent childplay and comic humor but also very dark, disturbing elements of hatred and revenge.

As they prepare for an evening out, Mr. and Mrs. Darling (Raymond Fox and Amy J. Carle) say goodnight to their children Wendy (Kay Kron), John (Jamie Abelson) and Michael (Alex Weisman). Mrs. Darling is uneasy; she's had a premonition.

Enter Peter Pan (Ryan Nunn), who beguiles Wendy and her brothers with his tales of Never Never Land and his mode of transportation -- flying -- to this magical land of fairies, pirates and lost boys. Here Wendy becomes a "mother" to the boys. But Peter, aided by the the jealous fairy Tinkerbell (Aislinn Mulligan) and the children, also have to fight adult battles against Capt. James Hook (Thomas J. Cox).

Dehnert's version of Captain Hook is a demented goofball straight out of a Mad Max movie. Cox, with a shaved head and outfitted in a leather greatcoat, buckled boots and three-pronged hook, stalks the stage with a vengeance. His nightmarish minions are led by Smee, an underused purple-haired Molly Brennan, whose softer, mothering side clashes with the dastardly Hook.

The final fight between Peter and Hook is choreographed on moving scaffolding flung about by the other actors. Thrilling and dangerous, it's a battle that doesn't end well for the captain.

Dan Stratton's stripped-back stage, with only a few props, is wide open as the harnessed children and Peter fly this way and that. Once again, Lookingglass uses its expertise with physical theater and the circus arts to heighten the wonderment. This and the final fight bring life to a production that is curiously unengaging.

"Peter Pan" is a well-worn story brimming with imagination, but this interpretation feels bland and piecemeal. Dehnert only occasionally succeeds in walking that line between childhood fantasy and adult responsibility.

The frenetic production has little emotional pull. This was evident in what should be one of the story's most emotional scenes as Tinkerbell lay dying. Peter begs the audience to save her by crying out "I believe." If her life depended on the lukewarm audience response, Tink would have been a goner.

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Wednesday, November 3, 2010