Rick Graham’sbreak-apart set and David Grill’s chiaroscuro lighting worked together tobreathtaking effect. A stroll in staid KensingtonGardens in 1941 ended with London blackening at thesound of air raid sirens. This dissolved into the pretty nursery of a bourgeoishousehold, then gave way to night and clouds as Peter and the children flewpast St. Paul’s and Big Ben toward the glowing star, and on to the spooky,biomorphic, fantastically twisted world of Neverland with its pirate ship,watery lagoon and underclass, underground hide-out. The slow, horizontalmovement of scenery stood in counterpoint to the aerial swoops of the flyingdancers. Judanna Lynn’s costumes were brilliant in color and character detail,and should be displayed in a museum rather than left in storage till this showis revived, as it surely will be. It could easily alternate with The Nutcracker as Milwaukee Ballet’sannual family holiday event.
Marc Petrocci is aPan for the ages. I saw the show twice to catch both casts, and was surprisedand pleased to see him dance again, with even greater abandon, on the secondnight. Clearly, this role belongs to him. Likewise, I can’t imagine a moreentertaining or dazzling Tinkerbell than Luz San Miguel. As John and Michael,Petr Zahradnicek and Nicole Teague were utterly endearing. Better to attendtwice than have to choose between the superb performers cast as Hook, Wendy,Tiger Lily and Mrs. Darling. Some of the most touching moments belonged toElizabeth Glander in her vivid pantomime as the dog Nana.
It’s all MichaelPink’s doing, a five-year labor. Like J.M. Barrie, whose 1904 play is themodel, he’s brought a dense, weird, prepubescent world to delirious life. Theair raid sirens and loud ticking of the devouring clock inside both crocodileand nursery speak of knowledge to come, but the bulk of this action-adventurefantasy holds adulthood defiantly at bay. The loneliness of Pan’s eternalchildhood and the inevitable end of innocence for the others are only evidentupon reflection.
