First Stage’s ‘Peligro Island’ is a Sprawling Adventure

×

Expand

Photo by Paul Ruffolo

First Stage's ‘Escape from Peligro Island’

Charlie Cornell and Matt Daniels in First Stage's ‘Escape from Peligro Island’

Callaway Brown is a perfectly nondescript kid who has been bounced around his whole life. Chance finds him in the possession of a strange package and a first-class airline ticket to somewhere he’s never been before. Callaway’s life is about the change, but he won’t be alone in Escape from Peligro Island. Director Jeff Frank ushers a full cast and audience through a sweeping adventure in First Stage’s intimate action fantasy. Billed as a “create your own adventure play,” the show features a sprawling variable plot script. On entrance, audience members are given purple and green “cards of destiny,” to help Callaway through the twists and turns of a plot that involves magic, mystery, romance, vampirism and more. 

Expand

Escape From Peligro Island poster

Matt Daniels has a deft grasp of adventure drama energy in a variety of traditional action roles—from the roguish ally to the dark arch villain, the hero’s father and many more. Shammen McCune lends an equally sophisticated dynamic to the production in a number of other roles including that of Callaway’s mother. 

Frank keeps the action moving on a stage surrounded by the audience that is helping to guide the action of the drama. The ensemble (which includes quite a few talented child actors) is quite deft at keeping the transitions between scenes remarkably fluid. This is quite an accomplishment given the fact that that entire run of the story can veer-off in dramatically different directions that could potentially change the mood, motion and emotion of the story being told. Playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer has created a vast playground for audience and actors alike. No two performances are going to be the same. Those going to multiple shows are likely to be rewarded with greater appreciation of the mysteries Callaway is engaging in.  

Escape from Peligro Island: A Create Your Own Adventure Play continues through June 2 at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. For more information, visit firststage.org/events-tickets/2023-24-season/escape-from-peligro-island.