 If you take the second star to the right and go straight on
till morning, you’ll reach a land full of pirates and Indians and fairies and
Lost Boys who never grow old. The land is Neverland, and the leader of the Lost
Boys is, of course, Peter Pan – the magical boy who takes the Darling children
from their home in London and into a great adventure.
Cailene Kilcoyne stars as the title character in San
Diego Junior Theatre’s production of this timeless classic. With a boundless
voice and charisma, Cailene leaps onto the stage and above it, flying with some
flair in the air. She’s also got a good feel for the mischievous side of Pan
(notably his teasing of Hook using his “other voice” which is a female operatic
one), and you see Peter’s young boyish side that is sad when his friends leave
him behind, but not about to show that sadness until he’s all alone.
Trevor Johnson is Pan’s adversary, an outlandish and
humorously wicked Captain Hook determined to defeat Peter Pan,  but a frightened
child just under the surface. He’s also a comically uptight father to the
Darling children – Michael (Brennen Winspear), John (Jonathan Edzant),
and Wendy (Nicki Elledge). The latter being as determined to capture
Peter as Hook is. All three do good work singing and flying. And a great
performance comes from their dynamic watchdog Nana and Hook’s sidekick Smee,
both played by Cashae Overton with terrific physical comedy.
The ensemble does a nice job as dancing Indians and as
the Lost Boys in I Won’t Grow Up. Director Will Neblett’s
production has a very dream-like quality to it, enhanced by David Kievit’s
lighting and set, as well as the Darling’s maid Liza (Maddy White) who
flies into Neverland and dances with the large animals as Peter Pan sleeps,
eventually dancing with him as well, showing that even adults may possibly find
their way to Neverland.
Performs April 27 - May 13, 2007
Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
 Wendy: Nicki Elledge
John: Jonathan Edzant
Liza: Maddy White
Michael: Brennen Winspear
Nana/Smee: Cashae Overton
Mrs. Darling/Ostrich: Clare Parme
Mr. Darling/Captain Hook: Trevor Johnson
Peter Pan: Cailene Kilcoyne
Lion/Crocodile: Spencer Williams
Unicorn/Grown-up Jane: Rachel Liuzzi
Slightly: Ben Sutton
Tootles: Caroline Peck
Curly: Mark Steitz
Nibs: Sean Waters
1st Twin: Paige Solomon
2nd Twin/Jane: Kayla Solsbak
Squirrely: Dorian Koehring
Croaky: Adam Hersko-Ronatas
Freckles: Michael Green
Chatter: Roberto Quinones
Tiger Lily: Olivia Puckett
Starkey: Teddy Fantano
Cecco: Kyle Crews
Noodler: Philip Greenberg
Mullins: Gabrielle Jarrett
Jukes: Jacob Fineman
Stripes: Alejandra Jimenez
George Merry: Vincent Pasquill
Thomas: Morgan Hollingsworth
Ben Gunn: Betsy Dunbar
Baldy: Alex Dunbar
Indian/Owl: Lauren Green
Indian/Kangaroo: Sasha Altschuler
Indians:
Maddie Baldwin
Veronica Chavez
Hannah Lo
Arielle Pardes
Carmen Quinones
Molly Salas
Charlotte Wen
Janelle Wen
Alicia Wong
Director: Will Neblett
Choreographer: Jennifer Winspear
Music Director: Ron Councell
Set Design/Light Design: David Kievit
Costume Design: Lynn Choplin
Hair/Make-up Design: Walter Allen
Sound Design: Robin Whitehouse
Stage Manager: Brittany Hamman
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