“Inspiring,” “fantastic” and “the what ifs” are what comes to mind when it comes to one the greatest children’s stories, Peter Pan.
Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael will all make their mark at Western Carolina University as their beloved story of adventures in Neverland will be told.
WCU’s School of Stage and Screen’s production of “Peter Pan, The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up,” will be a new version to the classical tale researched and restored by John Caird and Trevor Nunn to J. M. Barrie’s original intentions.
“I’m excited, it’s one of my favorite stories that I read as a little girl, and I think whoever has read that story has kept it with them,” says Brenda Lilly, the director of the play.
Who can forget famous quotes from Peter Pan like “never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting,” or “to die would be an awfully big adventure.”
Michael Gallagher, who plays Peter Pan, is inspired by his role that as he said “it’s been tremendous already.”
“Peter Pan is a wicked and wonderful boy, and I have had the time of my life exploring Neverland with him. He has taught me how to laugh in the face of danger. I remember when we first started flying and thought ‘Wow, I may never get to fly like this again.’ It really is a unique experience, one that I think we’re all excited to share with the audience,” Gallagher said.
Claire VanDerlinden, who plays Wendy added “I am so incredibly thrilled to be playing Wendy.”
“Change has always been something that I struggle with and especially now, approaching my senior year and wondering where the past three have gone; I hear the ticking crocodile following me loud and clear. Even though I tend to like change once it’s been made, transition is scary. In that way I feel a lot like Wendy,” VanDerlinden said.
Gallagher and VanDerlinden aren’t the only ones praising their roles. Phil Culton describes his role as Captain Hook as “the most fun I have ever had in a role to be quite honest in this fantasy world that Brenda has been defining through the script.”
Peter Pan (Gallagher) looks down from the trees as Captain Hook ( Culton) makes a point to Wendy (Vanderlinden) in a scene from Western Carolina University’s upcoming production of “Peter Pan: The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.”
Photo courtesy of Ashley T. Evans.
Lilly is known for her creativeness and that is one of the reasons why Gallagher loves working with her.
“Brenda Lilly never ceases to surprise me with her creativity. She’s one of those dreamers that makes them come to life, you know. This will have been my second show I have worked on with her, and each time she has been right there with me, bouncing back and forth with ideas, but above all else, always helping me tell the story. I couldn’t have done this without her,” said Gallagher.
Among Gallagher and Culton being casted as Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook, the cast includes Lizzie Reynolds as Michael and Hunter Taylor as John.
The play is staged at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16, through Saturday, April 18, as well as a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday, April 19, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of WCU.
If bought ahead of time, tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for seniors and WCU faculty and staff. Student tickets are $7 in advance and $10 if bought on the day of the show.
If you would like to purchase tickets call 828-227-2479 or click here.
In addition, I had the opportunity to talk to the stage manager of the play to get her thoughts, and also got to see a scene in rehearsal:
