For almost 70 years, “Peter Pan” has been a hit musical across many stages. From Jan. 14-19, a new adaptation of the timeless musical will be coming to Ohio Theatre.
Peter Pan
The story follows Peter Pan and Tinker Bell as they take the Darling children on a magical journey to Neverland one night. In this new adaptation, playwright Larissa FastHorse, and Emmy award-winning director Lonny Price hope to keep the original magic alive while introducing new elements that appeal to the new generations.
The new version features several songs from the original story, including songs such as “Neverland” and “I’m Flying,” with one new addition: “Friends Forever.” Amanda Green, daughter of one of the original lyricists, Adolph Green, was able to create the song, capturing the original magic.
The adaptation isn’t a complete reinterpretation of the classic tale. The original themes of love, hope and youth still drive the story but with added elements including diversity and cultural representation.
One example can be seen in the casting of some of the major roles and some of the development of the backstories of the characters.
“The tribe (that Tiger Lily is a part of) is the last member of an extinct culture and because you never grow old, they come to Neverland to preserve their culture until they can find a way back to this land,” says FastHorse in a video interview with NETworks. By making some parts of the story more inclusive, it allows more audience members to see themselves in the story and on stage as well.
Peter Pan
“Now, getting to use that nostalgia of this character that many kids and many native kids did want to see themselves in, and now to get to do that right is really exciting,” says Raye Zaragoza, who is performing the role of Tiger Lily, in a video interview with Broadway.com.
FastHorse and Price still want the musical to be a magical experience for younger audiences to be able to connect to. FastHorse hopes the musical leaves younger audiences believing Peter Pan will appear outside their window.
“No matter who you are, you’re going to see yourself on stage in Peter Pan,” says FastHorse in a video interview with Broadway Across America.
Korrigan Craddock is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
