By JESSICA NEU
Any performance by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater is guaranteed to be a masterclass in technique, poise, elegance, and intricate choreography.
PBT opens its 55th Emerald Anniversary Season with the Pittsburgh premiere of Trey McIntyre‘s Peter Pan, which also “pixie dusts” some family fun onto the Benedum Center stage. Playing October 25 – 27, PBT excels at making this show accessible and engaging for audience members of all ages. They provide opportunities for question and answer sessions after several performances, a “Tea with Tinkerbell” event, and photo ops in the lobby after each performance. Pirates and princesses will feel right at home as staff also offer special pirate hats to adorn during the performance.
McIntyre brings Sir Edward Elgar‘s score to life with engaging choreography and dynamic storytelling. While many audience members may be familiar with the story of Peter Pan, McIntyre choreographed, and Dawn Scannell staged the performance in such a way that the dancers were truly able to tell a story through movement. Each character has a unique personality, and audience members are treated to a more nuanced and detailed telling of Peter Pan than the classic Disney movie offers.
Tinkerbell (Grace Rookstool) is full of sass, and her fierce army of fairies delivers synchronized, technical movement that personifies girl power, strength, and confidence.
As we enter the Darling Family home, we meet children Wendy (Tommie Lin Kesten), John (Emry Amoky), and Michael (Christian Garcia Campos), as well as their parents and nanny (Hannah Carter, Lucius Kirst, and JoAnna Schmidt). The family exudes a sense of love, tenderness, and compassion as they enjoy each other’s company while preparing to go to bed for the evening. The children dance with a light-hearted, innocent ease that speaks to childhood’s beauty and innocence and sibling camaraderie. Once Peter Pan (Josiah Kauffman) flies into the Darling home, he and Wendy engage in a back-and-forth sequence that allows each dancer to shine individually but also incorporates beautiful lifts and partner work that emphasizes their immediate connection, but still tells a story of two young people getting to know one another. They develop instant kinship, but Wendy also develops some boundaries between Peter and her, representing the young woman she is becoming.
Peter teaches the Darling children to fly, but even without spoken words, each character effervesces such emotion in their movement that you can easily tell they are told to “think happy thoughts” to get to Neverland. As the children and Peter fly into Neverland, the set design (Thomas Boyd) becomes an intrinsic and mystical wonderland. Twinkling lights, bright flowers, and the bluest of blues accentuate the stage and provide the lushest backdrops for the dancers to execute Act II. The Lost Boys greet the Darling children in Neverland with the same playful, charismatic, and free-spirited attitude that Wendy, John, and Michael had in their bedroom before meeting Peter Pan. However, their conversational choreography quickly turns to trembling fear as Captain James Hook (Colin McCaslin) comes to intimidate the crowd, kidnap Wendy, and challenge Peter Pan to a duel; McIntyre’s choreography shifts to meet the moment of drama and suspense.
McCaslin moves about the stage with a command that resembles an Argentine Tango fused with classical ballet. Kauffman remains light on his feet with a pristine turnout and floats about the stage just as one would expect from Peter Pan. Even when suspended high in the air, Kauffman flips and glides effortlessly, extending his body from his pointed toes to his fingertips.
As this artistic and beautifully fluid production reaches its delicate conclusion, audiences are reminded of the true theme of Peter Pan: the angst of being situated between being a child and yearning to grow up. Kesten specifically beautifully portrays this theme throughout the show. Her movement is light, her extensions graceful, and her eyes wander into the vast world of the unknown that is growing up, but her smile is still that of a child.
McIntyre’s Peter Pan has all of the magic, joy, and wonderment you expect from a classic fairytale, especially one immortalized by Disney. With a bit of extra pixie dust, we can all find that place in our hearts where Neverland exists.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s production of Trey Mcintire’s Peter Pan has performances on October 25th – 27th, 2024 at the Benedum Center. For tickets visit https://pbt.culturaldistrict.org/production/93451/list_performances
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