Allison Williams Talks NBC's Live PETER PAN Broadcast: 'I'm Not Scared'

By: Oct. 24, 2014
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In a new interview in today's New York Post, Allison Williams spoke from a West Side rehearsal space about starring in NBC's highly anticipated live broadcast of the classic musical PETER PAN. The production airs on Thursday December 4th.

The 'Girls' actress explains how she learned to fly in a harness at a Long Island sound stage in preparation for the role. "The hardest thing is to face direction," she says. "You're on an axis, you're spinning around in circles. They determine how high you go, side-to-side. It's up to you to face a certain direction. Which is incredibly difficult and requires a lot of practice."

And although the 26-year-old has never appeared in a live musical theater production, she has no qualms about the live broadcast. "I'm not scared because everyone is working to the best of their ability. I am really type A in this preparation," she says. "And the other thing is that my biggest training ground is improv. I'll know how to handle things if something goes wrong. The myriad things that can go wrong is why most of America will tune in."

NBC is betting that the nearly twenty two million viewers who tuned in to last year's live broadcast of "The Sound of Music", starring Carrie Underwood, will once again return to see Williams step into the role made famous by Mary Martin. "The idea of these live events, they're like sporting events," explains executive producer Neil Meron. "For whatever sport, or blood sport, the audience got out of it, the show was an entertainment and we wanted first and foremost for it to be an entertainment. And we're very proud of it, by the way."

He continues, "We love the fact that she's [Williams] new. We love the fact that she's on the rise, no pun intended," he says. "And to have her in combination with the coolest of the cool, Mr. Christopher Walken, seems like the right DNA for this project."

Co-star Walken, who will take on the iconic role of Captain Hook, gushes over Williams performance as Pan. "She's wonderful. She's beautiful. She's very believable as Peter," says the actor. "And she has a beautiful voice."

Read the article in full here!

This holiday musical event PETER PAN LIVE will premiere on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on NBC. The special will also star Christian Borle, Kelli O'Hara, Taylor Louderman and Alanna Saunders.

Following in the footsteps of the phenomenally successful THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! -- which drew over 18 million viewers -- comes this musical masterpiece that tells the beloved story of Peter Pan, the mischievous little boy who ran away to Neverland. Get ready for show-stopping stars, stunning costumes, extravagant sets and delightful music that will have everyone in your home singing along.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will executive produce the broadcast. The duo are accomplished in both television and film, having earned 103 Emmy nominations. They were the driving force behind several stage-to-screen musicals, including the film version of "Hairspray" and TV adaptation of "Cinderella," as well as executive producing the NBCdrama "Smash," which earned a Golden Globe nomination. They were also nominated for a Tony Award in 2011 for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and also produced the revival of "Promises, Promises" to the Broadway stage in 2010. In addition, the duo executive produced the 2002 Oscar-winning film "Chicago."



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