Howdy everyone!! I had an absolutely fabulous weekend and I hope all of you did too. On Friday, I got my hair done and chitchatted all evening long on FaceTime with my blogging bestie. Then, on Saturday, I went to see Peter Pan with my sister and two eldest nieces at Playhouse Square and a minor league baseball game in the evening with Johnny, our bestie Cliff, and my brother. It was a whirlwind of a few days and so much fun! You can peep my new hair as well as all of the minor league baseball hilarity soon but now it’s time for a review of Peter Pan. Let’s get to it:

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Peter Pan, it goes a little something like this: Peter Pan lives in a fantastical place called Neverland where there are adventures at every turn and no one ever grows up. Peter is the captain to a group called the Lost Boys and they love to hear stories. So, Peter shows up at the window of a home where the mother tells stories every night to Wendy, John, and Michael – the Darling residence.

While trying to hear how Cinderella ends, Mrs. Darling ends up catching Peter’s shadow and he and Tinkerbell must get it back. During his heist, he meets the Darling kids and to Neverland they go. Wendy will be the mother to the Lost Boys and they will play, explore, and never grow up. Of course, in a land of adventure comes danger and the dastardly Captain Hook and his band of pirates are ready to get Peter and the Lost Boys once and for all. Newfound friends, fairy magic, and the ingenuity of children will be the key to peace being restored in Neverland for all of the kids who refuse to grow up!

It is always so exciting to go to the beautiful Connor Palace at Playhouse Square for a show. Regardless of if the performance is a home run, there is sure to be plenty about it that I still enjoyed. This was very much the case for Peter Pan because it fell under my “good but not great” category. Let’s dish about what worked. First and foremost, Kruz Maldonado was nothing short of a delight as the titular character. His vocals were spot on and he played the part so well. I was charmed by his air of mischief and the cocky attitude of a kid who is the leader of his pack. And, when he wasn’t puffing his chest, he still showcased the sensitivity of a child when things aren’t going their way. Kruz was cheeky and pure fun to watch and this really helped keep the show moving forward, even when it was getting stale.

I can’t say that I was overly impressed with the rest of the cast but where they lacked was made up for in production value. The dance numbers were a blast – particularly the tap dancing during “I Won’t Grow Up”. I am a huge fan of anything tap dance and this number delivered with something I had never seen before: Tap dancing on tortoise shells! Perhaps the best scene of all, though, was right at the beginning. Peter Pan came out swinging in magical design. Between Peter dancing with his shadow and the sequence of learning how to fly and traveling to Neverland, I was simply dazzled. So much so, in fact, that it made the rest of the show fall short because how can you top something that incredible?

In terms of other key players in the show, they all felt a bit lackluster in comparison to Peter. Aubrie-Mei Rubel as Wendy was… a lot. Her voice was very shrill and loud in delivery and literally no other character matched that energy, making it feel disjointed every time she spoke. I also had a major problem with Cody Garcia as Captain Hook. When I picture a fearsome pirate, he looked the part but didn’t sound it. I wanted classic booming, sneering pirate who still managed to charm and I got a watered down version. Despite this being a show made primarily for an audience of children, Captain Hook is still the villain and I would have liked to see that tapped into.

As I mentioned, the opening scenes of Peter Pan were so strong and so engaging that everything after felt weak in comparison. It was actually funny to watch my nieces react to the show because I could definitely tell every time they were getting bored. They got fidgety, were in the mood for snacks, and having a chat and I can’t say that I disagree with them lol. A majority of the scenes felt drawn out because of the different “crews” in Neverland. Each bunch had five to seven or so members and each song highlighted them individually in some way shape or form. While this is nice for introductory purposes, it made the numbers feel never ending and almost like a roll call. And, although there were several songs I really did like, the formula didn’t change and there came a point when they all blended together to a point where I was ready to go home.

Is Peter Pan the best show to take your kids to if it comes to your neck of the woods? For as much as I loved my time with my girl squad, I would say this is one you could skip on because the chances are very high it won’t keep them engaged the whole way through!

Have you been to the theater recently? What did you see? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah