Jordan Wright
July 7, 2015
Special to The Alexandria Times
Dan Rosales takes flight as Peter Pan in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Danie
“Do you believe in fairies?” The audience, primed for a night of wonder and magic, seized on the age-old qualifier with resounding approval. Author J. M. Barrie would have delighted to hear them echo his fantastical query of yesteryear.
Notwithstanding the enthusiasm, there’s nothing old fashioned about this production except the bygone tale of a boy who refuses to grow up. Produced by Norton Herrick of Herrick Entertainment and Charlie Burnell of Threesixty Entertainment, this techno-modern Peter Pan got its start in Kensington Gardens in London, the very same gardens that feature a statue of Peter Pan in the neighborhood where the Darling family, Wendy (played by Annapolis native Sarah Charles), Michael (Scott Weston) and John (John Alati) and their Mother (Hannah Jane McMurray) and Father (Stephen Carlile) resided with their canine governess, Nana.
Flight to Neverland Flight (L to R) Tinker Bell (Jessie Sherman), Michael Darling (Scott Weston), Peter Pan (Dan Rosales), Wendy Darling (Sarah Charles), and John Darling (John Alati) in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
This spectacular theater experience will wow all comers with its 360-degree CGI (computer-generated imagery) projected backdrop system, the first of its kind in the world. The footage surrounds the audience with breathtaking images – – from Big Ben and Buckingham Palace to the gabled rooftops of Victorian London, and on to the island of Neverland, where the feral and free Lost Boys, Captain Hook (Stephen Carlile) and Tiger Lily (Porsha Putney) live and where jungle scenes and pirate ships complete the total immersion into Peter’s world.
Hook (Stephen Carlile) and his pirates in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
This is a unique experience that goes beyond the hype that usually accompanies such major productions. Yes, it is in the round and yes, there are some breathtaking aerialists, most especially two ravishing mermaids that twirl and hang on swaths of silks. And if that doesn’t keep you at the edge of your seat, there are swashbuckling sword fights and dizzying feats of flying by Peter (Dan Posales), Tinker Bell (Jessie Sherman) and the children. No not your children, The Darlings, of course. At times it appears so realistic that one little girl, sitting behind us and witnessing the swaggering menace of Captain Hook, asked her parents, “Is he acting?”
In fact he is, along with 19 other actors and a host of puppets who bring this beloved tale to life in a way never achieved before – – not by Disney, by Broadway or TV.
Porsha Putney (Tiger Lily) and Dan Rosales (Peter Pan) in PETER PAN at the Threesixty Theatre. Photo credit: Jeremy Daniel
Thom Southerland directs the high-energy action and seven-time Olivier Award winner William Dudley continues the magic with clever set designs that achieve the seemingly impossible through the use of rotating trapdoors that swivel 180-degrees to reveal everything from treacherous rocks to home furnishings and the shipboard trappings of the Jolly Roger. Benjamin Wallfisch and Howard Herrick composed the original music with tender ballads, Irish jigs and Tiger Lily’s exotic dance. Gypsy Snider, co-founder of the Montreal-based circus company, Les 7 Doigts de la Main, created the breathtaking choreography.
Highly recommended for all ages.
Performances through August 16th in the Threesixty Theatre at Tysons Corner Center, 8200 Watson Street, Tysons Corner, VA 22102. For tickets and show time information visit www.peterpan360.com or www.Ticketmaster.com.