BWW Reviews: A Whole New Digital Neverland with Garden Theatre's PETER PAN

The classic musical PETER PAN flies into the 21st century with digitally mapped scenery in the Garden Theatre's final production of the season. PETER PAN is the perfect show for the Garden Theatre's technological endeavor because it is a familiar story to many audiences and has some good opportunities to showcase the animation. While some may consider the use of technology a risk, this show integrates it in a way that enhances the audience experience.

What is digital theater? It might be the future of theater and if that is the case then the future is bright. Instead of traditional painted scenery, the Garden Theatre enlisted the help of several technology design companies to create digital scenery. PETER PAN is the Garden Theatre's biggest creative project to date. The result is "scenery" that is projected onto a blank curved wall. Unlike a projector that you may see in a business meeting or in school, they did it in a way that the actors do not cast shadows or have the projections on their bodies when they step in front of it.

In some scenes, the details were just as elaborate as any real set. Flying to Neverland will never be the same and could never be as immersive as this production's digital abilities. It felt like the Soaring ride at EPCOT with amazing details of London and zipping through clouds beneath the stars. The colors that are just as vivid as any paint. Neverland transports the audience to a lush tropical island with big palm trees and bright flowers.

You can tell it is animation and not photography. At some points the digital animation tried too hard and it got a little Windows PC screen saver, but overall the digital scenery looked great. I imagine that with more time could be even better. It was definitely worth the investment and I would like to see if it becomes a trend of the future.

Another cool feature of the set were these built-in rock climbing pieces. This allowed the cast to really interact with the digital scenery like climbing a tree for example. Tinkerbell was done digitally as well. Aside from a few awkward pauses waiting for Tinkerbell to respond to Peter, it was a good choice to animate her.

I am always impressed by Garden Theatre's ability to find, train and grow young performers. The Lost Boys are a great bunch of young actors who really know their stuff. They are believable with their line delivery; accurate with their dancing; and overall adorable. In fact, the entire ensemble excelled in this production. All the dance numbers have incredible energy (Hook's Tango, Indian Dance, Ugh-A-Wug) and entertains the crowd. I loved the choreography because it showcases the performer's strength without looking overly rehearsed. Who doesn't love dancing pirates? Another crowd favorite is the large crocodile that marches his way through the audience to the stage. He's made of some sort of material that allows him to move realistically. A+ to the young lady inside the croc because it is a long crocodile walk to the back of the house.

In some productions of PETER PAN, companies choose to use wires to literally make Peter Pan fly. This production doesn't need wires because the digital set does the flying. Instead, Garden Theatre uses dancers in fully masked black body suits. The effect is similar to a shadow with much more flexibility than strapping a fly wire on a performer. To fly, the shadow would flip a kid onto their shoulder and dance around stage. Impressively Peter Pan flew on the back of his shadow without missing a beat of "I'm Flying."

There are two boys that play the title character. At this performance (Saturday Matinee), Brady Foley took on the leading role. Foley was a good fit for Peter Pan because he is a natural leader and exudes child-like innocence (after all he is in middle school). Foley excels at dancing and flying without hesitation to jump off things and his shadow.

Dennis Marsico stole the show as Captain Hook. Marsico was menacing, yet easily likeable. Hook can be too scary sometimes, but I enjoyed a lighter interpretation of the character. Marisco is a great actor with a great voice. I'd like to see him in more productions around Orlando.

PETER PAN is a great fit for audiences young and old. The digital technology and ensemble truly make the show a stunning production. Directed by Karen Rugerio, PETER PAN runs at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden now through May 31st. Performances are selling out so buy your tickets in advance. For tickets and more information visit http://gardentheatre.org/.

Photo credit: Steven Miller Photography

Author's note: This review previously listed Lyle Moon as Captain Hook. I reviewed the May 2nd Matinee performance, which featured Dennis Marsico as Captain Hook.

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