"I don't know whether you have ever seen a map of a person's mind..."

I'm afraid the mind is more untidy than usual of late, so you'll have to excuse the rambling nature of this post.

In only 2 days (not counting today!) I am off to Ohio!

I've been busy packing and panicking, so I'll blame my lack of updates on that.

Immersion has continued -- since last I wrote I've watched the final episode of "The Lost Boys" and also seen two Peter Pan inspired plays - "Peter/Wendy" at The Cell and "Peter and the Starcatcher" Off-Broadway at New World Stages.

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I don't have a lot to add to what I've already said about "The Lost Boys" -- though I did enjoy the taped interview with Andrew Birkin that was part of the special features on the final disk. Who'd have thought his hair looked like that? He made multiple vague references to aspects of the series that he was displeased with, but never specified what they were. (I imagine that would be discouraged under the circumstances.) I was wildly curious to know -- especially because I felt the 'feel' of the mini-series was so different from the feel of his biography. I wonder if he meant for it to come off as sinister as it does. Birkin was the writer, not the director, so he had limited say. (Think of that scene in "Shakespeare in Love" where Will is talking to the actors and Mr. Fennyman asks, "Who is that?" and Henslowe replies, "Nobody. He's the author.")

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As for "Peter/Wendy" -- Overall, it was charming and entertaining. The actors were all strong performers. I loved hearing many of my favorite passages from the novel that don't appear in the original play. In this production, Peter was played by a boy, Michael and John were eliminated, and instead of Mr. Darling, the actress playing Mrs. Darling doubled as Hook. (While the actress was talented, I had a hard time with this choice. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist.) The space was intimate, with a large glass door that opened on to the sidewalk. (At one point, the actors were out in the street and they even brought in some passerby. The night I went an *adorable* toddler nearly stole the show when she kept wandering in and out!) The walls were covered with large swaths of paper on which were scribbled hundreds of "happy thoughts" contributed through email and also from audience members. These were utilized in the show which made for good fun - especially when some of the thoughts were a bit incongruous with the characters and the story - think Wendy shouting "A cold beer!" My two major criticisms: The show fell apart a bit toward the ending as far as I was concerned. They brought in the part where Peter goes back to the nursery ahead of Wendy and bars the window, but in this version he leaves it barred. Part of my issue with it comes from my traditionalism of course, but I do think this choice might of worked if it was better executed. A dark twist didn't seem to fit with the lightness of the rest of the show, and it seemed somewhat abrupt. The script needed to fill out Wendy's discovery there somehow. And lastly, as much as I enjoyed the show, I'm not sure if it brought anything new to the table in terms of the story. Again - no one could have enjoyed hearing passages from the book more than I - but I do feel that the show as a whole needed a stronger perspective of its own on the tale.

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Proof-positive that I'm 100% open to wild variations on Peter Pan? I absolutely ADORED "Peter and the Starcatcher." All the exclamation points in the world could not capture how over the moon I was by curtain call. I'm hard-pressed to think of any piece of theatre I've seen recently that even comes CLOSE to the magic of this show. (Lest you think I only loved it because it was Peter Pan themed, my mother -- who is quite the critic -- saw the show with me and was equally enthralled.)

The play is based on a book "Peter and the Starcatchers" (surprise, I'm reading it now and am about halfway through) which is the first book in a series that's provides a back-story to JMB's "Peter Pan."


If I were a real reviewer, I could capture with words the spirit of this production which was by turns riotously funny, deeply moving, and above all brimming with heart. (Heart is what I've found lacking in so much of the theatre I've seen lately - particularly the bigger shows on Broadway. I saw "Matilda" the day before I saw "Peter..." and as much fun as it was - it felt hollow and soulless by comparison.)

I know I should write more of my own thoughts and feelings because I was so transported and moved by this show, but at the moment I'm having a hard time putting it into words. (The more I attempt blogging, the more appreciation I have for those who do a great job writing reviews.)

So for now, I'll leave it to the professionals and give you a line from a NYT review of the show (from when it was at The New York Theatre workshop) that says it best, "While there’s not a body harness in sight, like those used to hoist the title characters of “Mary Poppins” and “Spider-Man,” this show never stops flying. " (-Ben Brantley, NYT)