Genesius Theatre will host the world premiere production of a new adaptation of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up from April 10 through April 18, bringing a reimagined version of the classic story to its playhouse at 153 N. 10th Street.<\/p>\n
Longtime Genesius Theatre actor and director and current Associate Artistic Director, James Haggerty, is director and puppet designer.<\/p>\n
This production \u2013 based on J.M. Barrie\u2019s original American stage version \u2013 breathes fresh life, new perspectives, and more fun than ever before into the beloved story. Beane\u2019s decision to incorporate playwright J.M. Barrie as a narrator reminds us of the magic artists hold and illuminates the poetic stage directions that have been hidden from audiences for well over a century. Flinn\u2019s americana-inspired songs and twinkling piano underscoring ground us in the world of the story before helping our hearts soar to new heights. And Haggerty\u2019s dynamic direction and delightful puppets illustrate his key takeaway from this show: as long as you have your imagination, you never really have to grow up.<\/p>\n
Tony-Nominated Beane, who is currently Artistic Director at Genesius Theatre, shares the following about what he\u2019s discovered while adapting such a well-known work:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe secret of Peter Pan is: sure, it\u2019s for kids, but really, it\u2019s for grown ups, as well. There is a profound depth to this story despite all its wildly enjoyable delights. As I get older, I find myself more moved by the play\u2019s observation of aging and death. I was also surprised to discover just how deftly the source material lays into themes of gender and maturity. And despite all that, it is so wonderfully funny \u2013 eccentric, to be sure, but funny!\u201d<\/p>\n
Haggerty shares his vision for his collaborative, energetic direction of the world premiere:<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, Neverland is where every lost thing goes. It\u2019s every game of makebelieve you\u2019ve ever played; it\u2019s every missing sock you\u2019ve lost, every crazy idea you\u2019ve had. In this presentation, we are really leaning into imagination and play. There is a feeling of, \u2018we\u2019re just a bunch of people playing and telling a story together.\u2019 We\u2019re incorporating puppets throughout the show, we fly through lifting one another, and we create the entirety of Neverland and the real world with a handful of ladders and chairs \u2013 it\u2019s magical. We want the theatre to feel like one big toybox.\u201d<\/p>\n
That toybox of a theatre, as Haggerty describes it, is the preferred setting for a playwright whose work has been on the biggest and most celebrated stages in the world. \u201cGenesius and its perfect little playhouse size is the ideal setting for kids, for families, and for first dates. It is an ideal place to start this show\u2019s journey,\u201d Beane says.<\/p>\n
The melding of worlds and minds from volunteer community theatre artists and professional, award-winning creatives has been one of the most rewarding parts of the process for Haggerty. \u201cHaving the ability to confer and work with Doug and Lewis as the show was being developed has been such a joy. It\u2019s been a great reminder that the arts community isn\u2019t composed of two isolated circles of professionals and amateurs, but one great big bubble,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That big artsy bubble isn\u2019t separated by skillsets or expectations either: in Genesius\u2019 PETER PAN, half of the cast skillfully plays two or more vastly different characters, the ensemble are puppeteers, dancers, and flyers, and the director is also the puppet maker.<\/p>\n
Haggerty shares the following about how puppets came to pass in Neverland, and how he became the master of them all:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Doug and I first started talking about Peter Pan, he kept bringing up all the fantastical creatures in Neverland and how important it was that Nana be really grounded in her tasks as the Darling children\u2019s nurse. We knew we couldn\u2019t bring a dog in to do what is required, and we didn\u2019t want to dress a performer up in a costume, so Doug mentioned puppets and I mentioned my life long obsession with the Jim Henson Company. From there, it was agreed upon that I would fabricate puppets for the show. I don\u2019t think he realized how hard I would go on them \u2013 but I am happy with how they turned out!\u201d<\/p>\n
Beane is happy, too. He says: \u201cJames\u2019 puppets are off the charts great!\u201d<\/p>\n
Neverland and its iconic characters have been interpreted in so many different ways throughout the years. With Beane\u2019s words, Flinn\u2019s music, Haggerty\u2019s direction, and Reading\u2019s dedicated pool of creatives with day jobs and dreams, Neverland has become accessible to everyone of all ages. Visit Genesius Theatre on 153 N. 10th Street to take flight!<\/p>\n
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on April 10, 11, 15, 17, and 18, with 3:00 p.m. matinees on April 11, 12, and 18. For tickets and more information, visit www.genesusdifference.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Genesius Theatre will host the world premiere production of a new adaptation of Peter Pan, or The Boy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161641,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":["post-161640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}