In preparing to see Northern Stage’s production of “Peter and Wendy” last Friday, I wondered how the play would fare at holding the attention of both children and adults. The story, which we’ve come to know as “Peter Pan,” is traditionally billed as one for kids.
But I needn’t have worried. Director Eric Love’s fresh adaptation of J. M. Barrie’s 1911 novel “Peter and Wendy,” an expanded version of the original play, has woven explorations of gender dynamics and the tricky business of growing up into an enchanting production replete with dancing mermaids, fantastical set design and enough Gen Z parlance to appeal to the youngest audience members.
When we meet the Darling family, this time in New York City, it’s New Years Eve in 1999 and the world is holding its breath to see if a Y2K apocalypse will trigger societal collapse.
Inside the family’s apartment, parents George and Mary are rushing to make it to a gala at George’s firm. They share a few moments of silliness with their children, Wendy, John and Michael, but soon the beep of George’s Blackberry casts him back to the impending gala where he’s determined to make a good impression. Shouldering the weight of being the family provider, he has all but forgotten any sense of childlike wonder.
Eventually, the parents rush off into the cold night, leaving Wendy, the eldest, to act as mother until their return, a role she dutifully accepts.
Soon Peter Pan arrives at the bedroom’s window, which John opened to let some air into the stuffy room. After Wendy recovers from the initial shock of the encounter and helps Peter reattach his pesky shadow, he invites her to be mother to the Lost Kids, as they’re called in Love’s version, on the far-off island of Neverland.
Dazzled by Peter, Wendy agrees, and the three siblings follow the flying boy to Neverland, where they soon encounter the usual suspects, including Captain Hook and his oafish band of pirates.
Metallic scaffolding, bushy trees and light projections reminiscent of storybook illustrations depict Neverland as a kind of enchanted forest, and scenic designer Alexander Woodward provides plenty of texture and visual detailing for an audience member’s roaming eye to explore.
The theater’s thrust stage helped blur the boundary between audience and story, almost as if we were part of one of those immersive rides at Disney World where you travel down a narrow track and the scene unfolds around you.
Jacob Tischler garnered many a laugh as George and the melodramatic Hook, which came as no surprise after watching his hilarious performance as Ogie in Northern Stage’s production of “Waitress” earlier this year.
Jason Simon was equally amusing as Hook’s sidekick Smee, an overzealous Southerner with a penchant for reciting Shakespeare.
Dartmouth student Julia Zichy plays Wendy with the right dose of earnest longing and conscientiousness in contrast to Hanover High School junior Yuvraj Sathe’s daredevil Peter.
It’s no surprise that Love, who formerly served as Northern Stage’s director of education, knew just how to captivate his younger audience members, whose giggles and whoops seemed to multiply as the show went on. The script includes a number of Zoomer phrases such as “Spill the tea,” delivered by Hook, of all characters, and dance sequences that would have been right at home on TikTok.
“I liked it because the play said ‘ass’,” I overheard a young girl tell her mom as we all tiptoed across the icy parking lot after the show. High praise from an elementary school kid.
Such concessions to the baby Zoomers could have turned grating, but luckily Love’s script included enough rich language to keep the rest of us satisfied.
I had a lot of fun simply laughing along with the kids, but what really intrigued me about the play was the dynamic between the titular characters. Wendy clearly has feelings for Peter, which she gets to live into when he asks her to play house with him while they look after the Lost Kids. But her face crumples every time Peter, seemingly oblivious to her feelings, calls her “mother,” instead of “wife.”
She wants a partner, and he wants a mom. It’s a dynamic I’m sure many heterosexual women can identify with.
On top of that, Tinker Bell, Neverland’s resident party girl, played by Carlita Victoria, also is infatuated with Peter. She and Wendy are constantly locked in a battle for his attention all while he seems more interested in outsmarting Hook and recounting tales of his cleverness.
Wendy isn’t the only mother figure Peter has recruited during his long tenure on Neverland, as we learn from the weathered Lily, played by Sutton Crawford, who’s lived on the island since Peter brought her there when she was young.
In the end, Love suggests that the cycle can be broken. But can the boy who never wants to grow up really change? I’m not so sure. Still, I appreciate Love’s optimism in asking the question.
Northern Stage’s production of “Peter and Wendy” is up through Sunday, Jan. 4. For tickets ($28 to $100) and more information, go to northernstage.org or call 802-296-7000.