By Emily Petillon
Managing Editor
The Mira Costa Drama Department displayed skills and sophistication beyond its years with an inspired performance of the classic story of the boy who refused to grow up.
Despite minor flaws in some of the characters’ accents, the Drama Department’s spring production of the musical adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” did justice to the theater classic through the passionate full orchestra accompaniment, as well as moving and intense character depictions with creative choreography.
The musical follows the story of a young girl, Wendy Darling (senior Sabrina Mongiello), who is taken from her home in London by a magical, flying boy named Peter Pan (junior Julia McDermott). Peter teaches Wendy and her brothers, John (junior Ryan Fiene) and Michael (freshman Tito Ure), to fly, and the three of them head off to Neverland, a magical island in the sky. Here, they meet fierce Indians, live with the wayward Lost Boys and battle incompetent pirates, led by the villainous Captain Hook (senior Paxton Wright).
One of the play’s best assets was the immense talent of the cast. McDermott stole the show with her fearless and confident portrayal of Peter Pan. She managed to give the character a sense of bravado while tempering with a child-like innocence. Her tearful monologue at the show’s climactic scene was tear-jerking in its intensity. Her singing was equally as powerful, and her strong voice gave Peter’s songs a sense of true adventure and excitement.
An equally impressive performance was Wright’s Captain Hook, as he made the character hilarious, while demonstrating a sophisticated and playful sense of comedic timing in his interactions with the rest of the pirates, especially in the final battle scene, where he adds humor with his pompous threats to Peter Pan. Wright’s alternating bluster with his accompanying pirates and fear of a ticking crocodile sent the audience into hysterics.
Mongiello’s performance of Wendy was less aggressive than some of the bigger personalities in the play but provided a much-needed emotional core to the show. Her portrayal of Wendy was sweet and sincere, thanks to Mongiello’s understated acting. Her greatest moment was during the song “Distant Melody,” where Mongiello made Wendy’s nostalgia and homesickness palpable through her expressive voice.
Through big dance scenes and tight choreography, the remainder of the cast helped to maintain a sense of whimsy that brought the topsy-turvy realm of Neverland to life. The execution of the choreography proved perfect, evident in the Indian dances, which were full of quick group movements and timed leaps, giving the dances a wild and primal feel.
The pit orchestra also helped to set the adventurous mood of the play. The full orchestra’s spirited accompaniment of the songs gave the musical numbers an extra sense of excitement by making them sound more intense and by allowing the singers to keep time with a live musical ensemble.
The only flaw of the musical was the jarring and distracting accents. Some actors attempted English accents, but annoyingly they only managed to slip in and out of them, hurting an otherwise inspired performance.
This production of “Peter Pan” overcame distractingly bad accents through intriguing choreography and a splendid pit orchestra, while a talented cast brought wellknown characters to life.
The final performance of Peter Pan was on May 3 at 7:30 p.m.
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