By Gillian Brunette Famous U.S. company will train actors and bring in equipment to create illusion of stage flight
As the protagonist, the HHS Grade 12 student will soon be aspiring to even greater heights — above the Algonquin Theatre stage.
“I’m really excited (about the prospect). This is the first time flying is coming to the Algonquin Theatre and, as I’ve never been scared of heights, I think it will be a lot of fun,” she said.
Bacon (17) is no newcomer to the stage. She played Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. She is Wendy Jo in the upcoming HHS production of Footloose and has a part as one of the Silly Girls in next year’s Bracebridge Rotary production of Beauty and the Beast.
When first asked to audition for Peter Pan, Bacon had a hard decision to make. “I have to cut my hair for the part, and I will do so after the Bracebridge show,” she said.
Peter Pan is the much-loved tale of a young boy who wouldn’t grow up. A play, adapted from James M. Barrie’s book, debuted in 1904, but Peter Pan became a household name following the 1954 film starring Mary Martin as Peter.
“The role of Peter Pan has, in the last 100 years, almost always been played by a woman,” said the show’s director Gregg Evans. “It’s what the author wanted for the role, and the music was written for a female voice. Also, in the 1900s, you couldn’t use children in theatre, so they chose women to play young teenage boys.”
Peter Pan will be staged at the Algonquin between April 15 and 24. It will be the second musical production underwritten by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, in conjunction with the Huntsville Rotary Club and the North Muskoka Players. The first was the Wizard of Oz, which was presented last spring.
SPRIGHTLY, PETER AND SMEE: Ryan Burda, Jessie Bacon and Ryan Robinson-Hatton (from left), are getting ready for the upcoming production of Footloose. By January, they will be in rehearsal for Peter Pan, as Sprightly (right), Peter and Smee (left).
Recently, auditions were held at the theatre, where a cast of 54 players was chosen. “There is only one cast this time. We are not even having understudies at this point. I’m pretty confident with our leads,” noted Evans, adding he will be keeping his fingers crossed that no one gets sick.
The story of Peter Pan revolves around the Darling family. Seasoned actors Aussa Penniall from Bracebridge, and Huntsville’s Scott Roodvoets are Mr. and Mrs. Darling. Emma Gibbs of Bracebridge secured the role of Wendy Darling, and her brother Cole Gibbs plays Jonathon Darling.
The youngest Darling child is Michael, who, like Peter Pan, will be played by a female, said Evans. “Michael is the main character, usually played by a boy of seven or eight. We didn’t know if we could get someone of that age who could do justice to the part, so we went with 12-year-old Ally Renwick. Ally was in Annie and the Wizard of Oz and is a terrific actress and has a lovely singing voice.”
Added Evans: “This is Ally’s first main lead role and that’s what’s nice about this show: all the leads are teenagers, with the exception of Captain Hook.”
The part of Hook has gone to the inimitable Bob Stone, whom many will remember as one of the scarecrows in Oz. “Bob can sing, dance and act and he’s flamboyant and Captain Hook is a flamboyant character,” said Evans.
Hook’s sidekick, Smee, will be played by HHS student Ryan Burda, who was a Cowardly Lion in Oz. Burda has been in amateur theatre for 10 years and will soon be seen as Willard in Footloose. He has also been cast as the beast in Beauty and the Beast.
The show also features myriad actors playing lost children, Indians, pirates and the five animals, including Nana, the Darling family dog (Caroline Heyblom).
“Another teen lead is Tiger Lily, who is the daughter of the Indian chief in Neverland. That role requires a ballet dancer and we have Karena Leffler, who has had ballet training,” said Evans.
Five actors – Peter Pan, the three Darling children and the Darling family maid Liza, (Joann Bennett, who played one of the witches in Oz), have flying parts. To create the illusion of flight requires training of both actors and stage crew, said Evans.
“Rob Saunders (Huntsville Festival of the Arts general manager) has contracted the Foy family from New York. Their grandfather, Peter Foy, was responsible for the stage flight of Mary Martin in the 1954 movie. The family is still involved in specialized stage flight three generations later,” Evans noted. "Experts with the company, Flying by Foy, will come to Huntsville a week before the production opens to set up the rigging and harnesses and to teach the backstage crew how to operate them."
Oz costumier Nicole Pantaleo returns to spearhead the costume department for Peter Pan. Also returning are Sherisse Stevens (musical director), Neil Barlow (orchestra director), and Helena Renwick (set design). Rehearsals for Peter Pan will begin in early January.
