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When Theatre Worlds Collide
Peter Pan
| Source: |
National Post |
| Date: |
November 29, 2007 |
| Author: |
Alison Broverman |
There are two main factions of the Toronto stage world, and rarely do
the twain meet. Epitomizing independent theatre with his quietly
subversive plays like 2005's SummerWorks Festival hit Democrats Abroad
is Chris Earle, while Ross Petty's annual Christmas pantomime at the
Elgin Theatre is commercial theatre at its gaudiest.
So it was odd when Earle's credit appeared on the poster for Peter
Pan, Petty's latest offering starring Canadian figure skating legend
Kurt Browning as the boy who wouldn't grow up. (Petty's holiday season
pantos always feature such celebrity stunt casting, age and theatre
experience be damned.)
"Quite a few people were a bit shocked to see my name up there,"
admits Earle, who was commissioned by Petty to adapt James Barrie's
story for Browning et al.
"I think Ross approached me mainly because of my Second City
experience," explains the playwright, who was in the Second City
Mainstage cast for three years, and is still associated with the
company as a teacher and director. "The pantomimes involve a lot of
parody and loose improv, so he thought I'd be a good fit."
Peter Pan was a departure for Earle, who usually directs or performs
his own writing. "It was really nice to write a script, deliver it and
not worry about everything else," he says.
It was odd for him to be so uninvolved in the production
process. "After the first read-through, I didn't see it until the
dress rehearsal," he says. "It really is an actor's show, though, and
it was great to see how much they made it their own."
It didn't hurt that Earle's work was in the very capable hands of
director Susan Schul-man, who is well known for her musical theatre
work both on Broadway and at Stratford.
For someone so used to working in independent theatre, where the casts
are necessarily tiny due to budget constraints, it was a treat to
write something for a big cast. "With so many characters, you have to
figure out how to nail a character really quickly," says
Earle.
The premise of Earle's adaptation is that it's 2007 and Neverland has
gotten so repetitive and boring that everyone is ageing, so Peter Pan
recruits some new kids to liven the place up again.
"But with a story like Peter Pan, there's something you can't tamper
with," Earle explains. "Audiences will come in with their own
expectations of the story. So despite the anachronisms, we do follow
the arc of the story."
And can Browning follow the direction to go "second to the right and
straight on till morning"? "He can fly," confirms Earle. "He's great,
actually, which is a huge relief -- he's a natural performer, and
pretty much took a crash course in musical theatre."
Ultimately, Earle is glad to have finally done a show that he can
bring his kids to. "My nine-year-old daughter came to watch the dress
rehearsal, and afterwards she turned to me and said, 'that was funny,
Daddy. You're really funny.' " He smiles. "What more do you need than
that?"
-Peter Pan runs until Jan. 6 at the Elgin Theatre. Tickets are
$49-74. Call 647-438-5559 for more information.
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