If you've ventured downtown of late and seen the big white tent on City Hall Plaza, don't let appearances fool you. It may look like just a tent, but inside there's magic.
We stepped into the world of threesixty entertainment's "Peter Pan" on a brisk Sunday afternoon. The show lived up to the hype -- as promised on the website, the flying scenes were dazzling, the music epic, and the puppets amazing. We'd also heard we might feel like we were flying, which was more exciting to my daughters than it was to me (can you say vertigo?). As it turned out, there was nothing to fear. We maintained the feeling of being rooted to our seats while watching the actors convince us that they were the ones soaring over London.
My daughter's first observation upon sitting down was that there were no sneaky bleacher-like openings, so no one would lose their shoes (which her sister did several years ago in a Big Apple Circus tent -- old memories die hard). Despite the website's caveat that the show is not generally recommended for children under five, we saw plenty of toddlers, and for the most part, their attention was held. The tent itself offered a cozy, intimate feel, something not always forthcoming in big-ticket productions.
This was due in part to the in-the-round presentation, which gave maximum awe value to the special effects (spectacular 360 degree movie projections) and kept the focus on the story. This was a relief to a skeptical mom, who wondered whether the techno-displays would dwarf the best parts of J.M. Barrie's tale. Again, no worries. The show doesn't shy away from the book's more complex aspects, such as the attraction between Peter and Wendy and Tinkerbell's furious jealousy. Those emotions are handily conveyed, especially by Emily Yetter, who steals the show with her adorably feisty portrayal of Tink. The production also retains Barrie's deification of the mother. In this Neverland, the women (including the female dog, Nana) are the rocks, possessing wisdom and bestowing comfort. Clearly, the men and boys would be nowhere without them.
Complaints were few -- my older daughter thought Peter looked too much like a man (I agreed). Her little sister had no issue. We loved the pirates, but felt teased when they burst on stage with instruments and broke into song for merely a few bars -- we wanted more.
Highlights were many -- Tiger Lily's acrobatic dance for Peter, the crocodile puppet that took two people to commandeer and succeeded at being threatening and funny at the same time, Tink's impressively relentless flying somersaults, the dreamlike swimming sequence with Michael and the mermaids, and Peter and Hook's slow-motion sword fight on the plank.
We left thinking an annual Boston visit from threesixty entertainment would be most welcome. After discussing what stories might lend themselves to the company's ingenious theatrical concept, we decided a trip down the rabbit hole with "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" would do nicely.
Through Dec. 30 at City Hall Plaza, Boston. $35-$100.
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