Fringe, Reviewed: Wendy & Peter
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
"The production lurches through a mismatched mess of tones."
[family theater]
Wendy & Peter, by Bloom & Fly Theatre Company
Attended: Sat. Sept. 6, 3:30 p.m., Studio X; Closes: Sun. Sept. 21, 2:30 p.m.
Discover what happens when Wendy returns to Peter and Neverland for the first time.
WE THINK:
The theme of my FringeArts experiences on Saturday, Sept. 6 seemed to be: "Scripts written by everybody are written by nobody." (See also, Incongruous and 99 Breakups.)
Bloom & Fly's first production is a sequel of sorts to Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie's final chapter suggests that Wendy grows up, but Peter does not. In this energetic low-tech staging by Ben Smallen, Wendy (Amanda Curry) returns to Neverland to find that Peter (Lesley Berkowitz) now resembles his old nemesis Captain Hook, and that a new menace threatens the Lost Boys (represented by Tara Demmy and Katie Cwirko).
The production lurches through a mismatched mess of tones; jokes about Hall & Oates and Canada feel like bad SNL, as does the Fairy Resistance Movement (yes, Tinkerbell's back too), and the characterization of Wendy's little brother as mentally challenged -- for laughs -- should offend someone.
Ultimately, Wendy & Peter resembles a Hollywood sequel that just tries to repeat the same story as the original. In this version, though, a tidy theme feels tacked on (why do people think that's good enough for kids?), and the whole mess calls out for a playwright who can end scenes cleanly, limit tedious scene changes, and make the message emerge artfully from the story.
