Topic: Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Mataya

Date: 2017-12-17 11:57 EST
Cast

Peter Pan - Cary Lyons Wendy - Annabeth Caldwell Mr Darling/Captain Hook - Aristotle Kruger Mrs Darling/Liza/Tinkerbell/Tiger Lily/Pirate 4 - Kiri Calderon-Spencer John/Smee - Doran Ilnaren Michael/The Crocodile/Peter Pan - Byron Warren Nana/Peter's Shadow/Mr Starkey - Eregor T"r Gaird"n Tootles/ The Narrator - Leah Fuller The Narrator - Jonathan Granger Stage manager/Peter Pan - Marcus Spencer

Special guest appearance by the staff of the Shanachie Lower Bar

Mataya

Date: 2017-12-17 11:59 EST
Synopsis

((As this thing is all but impossible to describe accurately, I highly recommend you take a look at the Youtube upload of Peter Pan Goes Wrong. The play itself starts at about 2:30.))

The fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, fresh from such hits as The Lion and The Wardrobe, Cat, and James and the Peach or James, Where's your Peach", has been selected as the winners of the Shanachie Community Choice Awards, and are putting on a production of Peter Pan, a seasonal vignette. During the production a plethora of disasters befall the cast including doors sticking; props on the walls falling down; floors collapsing. Cast members are seen misplacing props; forgetting lines; missing cues; breaking character; and being manhandled off stage with at least one cast member being knocked unconscious or injured, but the show must go on! The climax sees the pirate ship break free from the set and sail off down the aisle into the foyer and back into the auditorium, carrying the hospitality staff with it.

((As always, this is where you can put your reactions. Hope you like it!))

Doran Ilnaren

Date: 2017-12-25 23:22 EST
To say that Doran was having a blast during this production (which was definitely NOT a pantomime!) would be a serious understatement. There were hijinks and mishaps, and he got to ad lib some of the best moments while supposedly repeating what was coming through his blatantly-obvious headset. Because "he couldn't remember his lines" in-character.

Hilarity ensued.

Each performance was unique, as there were plenty of shenanigans to be had, so they didn't always happen in the same order. There were a few constants, though. His favorite was after Eregor, as Mr. Starkey, dropped his sword over the rowboat's side and tried to quietly and subtly as Doran, as Smee, to get it for him. Even then, for every show the two of them improvised a few tweaks to that conversation, much to the audience's amusement. They were having fun, and that made it more entertaining for the folks in the seats.

That was what it was all about, after all!

Kiri Calderon

Date: 2017-12-29 12:44 EST
There really was nothing like live theater. Kiri had learned this over the last year, and now she'd filmed her final scenes with Horizon, the Shanachie Theater was everything. And then Jon had rolled out their end of season production.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong.

It was right there, in the title. A familiar story, in which everything that can possibly go wrong, does. The cast list was a bit of a minefield, too. She'd been a little lost with the sheer number of character names beside her own, having to track down Jon and Mataya and actually ask how it was physically possible for one person to play five characters, some of whom were in the same scenes with each other. The answer? "It isn't, that's the fun."

And to her surprise ....they were absolutely right. The laughter each night just got louder each time she had to switch between Mrs. Darling and Liza, or Tiger Lily and Pirate Four. Her "electrocution" as Tinkerbell was both horrifying and hilarious, judging by the audience reaction. And the more they got into it, the more she did. She stopped worrying about perfectly hitting her cues, about perfectly hitting her lines, about the fact that she was awful at lip-syncing to the pre-recorded songs. Peter Pan Goes Wrong was the best example of "the show must go on" that she had ever come across, and it had been written that way.

Mind you, she was going to be glad for the January rest. Playing five characters at once was exhausting!

Eden Parker

Date: 2017-12-30 20:47 EST
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With Eden on holiday break from both school and IFL, Cory surprised her with the tickets to the Shanachie Theater! Eden had never been to the theater before and she was excited, not only to see the story that has Tinker Bell in it (the best fairy of all time), but because Kruger was going to be performing in it!

Initially, Eden was very confused, and there were a lot of concerned exclamations of "Oh no!" But Cory whispered very reassuringly, and eventually she was giggling along with the rest of the audience. Upon, Kruger's first appearance, Cory had to gently hold her hand down since she kept trying to wave at Kruger.

Once she settled in and started following, Eden had a blast, giggling through the whole performance, and clapping fiercely at its end. After the lights came up, Eden turned to Cory, smiling brightly, and exclaimed, "That was the best!" And then she kissed him.

Cory knew that Eden had never been to the theater before. He liked taking her new places just so he could be part of the experience. Tonight's show was meant to be a comedy, but watching her was easily as entertaining as the show was to him.

He took the time to reassure her through the accidents of the props that the players were okay. When she tried to wave to Kruger he told her softly that with the lights out the people on stage couldn't really see the audience very well. Cory laughed as the audience shouted at Captain Hook, turning amused looks Eden's way.

He kissed her back when the lights came up. "Let's go congratulate the players?" They were waiting in the lobby, a line of them outside the doors to the auditorium shaking hands with all who wanted.

((Thank you to Cory's player, as always, for collaborating with me!))

Kruger

Date: 2017-12-31 13:23 EST
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It was difficult for Kruger to pick a favorite part of this production. It changed from one night to the next, the arguing with the audience was high on the list. Then again maybe it was the ending, and seeing those who'd come out to the show. Kruger had been accused of over acting before. It was nice that Mataya and John had finally found a role that conformed to his particular style.

From squeezing through a jammed door to sword fights that had him scrambling through the revolving settings, Kruger didn't come out of this without a bruise or five. They all likely held their share, for him though the end of 2017 couldn't have ended with a better note!