Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: A good story will be told often. Peter Pan, for example, has had more lives than a cat. When Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre last presented a Peter Pan in 2007, the production's many charms did not include a Tinker Bell. That will be corrected with flair when the company mounts a different production next weekend. "Tinker Bell is a fun role, definitely humor spiked," says principal dancer Julia Erickson. "She has spunk. She's a fairy, so she's got those ethereal qualities. She quirky, easily distracted, definitely has a good heart but gets her bun ruffled every once in a while."
Monday, October 24, 2011
'Peter Pan' flies again with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: A good story will be told often. Peter Pan, for example, has had more lives than a cat. When Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre last presented a Peter Pan in 2007, the production's many charms did not include a Tinker Bell. That will be corrected with flair when the company mounts a different production next weekend. "Tinker Bell is a fun role, definitely humor spiked," says principal dancer Julia Erickson. "She has spunk. She's a fairy, so she's got those ethereal qualities. She quirky, easily distracted, definitely has a good heart but gets her bun ruffled every once in a while."
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I would be interested to see this take on Peter Pan. The way the characters are described in this article leads me to believe that they have been presented with a breath of new life into the traditional. Peter Pan is a production which has been put on many times in many theatres for many years, and yet it has not become exhausted. Audiences continue to enjoy the bits of whimsical fantasy infused with genuine and well meaning messages. Ballet is also a very physically expressive form of theatre, so I would be excited to see how the actors and actresses use their bodies to portray the emotions their characters are feeling.
I love the story of Peter Pan, the story is timeless and a perfect movement piece. My old dance studio did Peter Pan only two years ago for our final performance and it was so much fun to do. The characters are just so vibrant and full of life. I'm hoping that I'll be able to see this production and their take on the classic fairy tale. The choice of music sounds like a wonderful and different idea. They way the characters are described in the article make this production sound wonderful and new but still stay close to the book and original message that JM Barrie wrote years ago.
Peter Pan is a personal favorite of mine, my sister and I grew up watching the disney movie. I tend to hold some remorse to working on the dreaded community theatre or children's show but i will always take a chance to work on peter pan. Pittsburgh Ballet theatre already has a history for putting together some amazing performances including their own performance of peter pan. I expect this years to be just as impressive as any of PBT's shows in the past. They have an amazing unique pool of eager talent to draw from for their cast. Just as talented as the performers are they all are just as emotionally attached to the sentiment of the play. Principal dancer Julia Erickson playing tinker bell taking time to hold a Tea Time with Think for younger children. Eager talent plus what can be expected to be a beautifully choreographed ballet, this is sure to be a memorable performance
I agree with a lot of what Kassondra has to say about this production. It has been performed in many different capacities and still receives a significant amount of praise. I personally love the story of Peter Pan, and would love to see it performed in this manner. With well-known stories such as Peter Pan, I feel like a certain level of exploration is expected. This is also true of Shakespeare's shows, where-while still enjoyable in its original form- most audience members would not be deterred by a new approach to the already very familiar story.
A show like Peter Pan is a great way to introduce very young children to theater. Many three or four-year-old children are already taking ballet classes so this is something to which they can relate and begin to appreciate. Many of us remember that first "real" show which made us realize there was more to the story than Disney presented. It is a step away from the Disney aspect and into theater. This ballet is a personal favorite of mine. I love the whole wonder of childhood imagination and of course Tinker Bell is pure magic. I'm hoping I can get time to see this production.The flying and the fighting should be wonderful dances.
This is a show that I am planning to go to. I have heard wonderful things about the flying effects of the musical and I would like to see how they adapt to a ballet. I trust this will be an incredible experience. I am very curious to learn how well the dancers adapted to flying. You would think that after acrobats. Ballet dancers would adapt the easiest. I am going with a keen interest in how seamless they can make peter fly. I am also talking a four year old with me who will be totally enamored by every aspect of the show. I am very excited!
Seeing the senior movement project last year really helped me view complicated stories in a different light. Especially given the whimsical nature of this story, it's no surprise that the show is doing well. It lends itself almost flawlessly to the framework of a movement based piece.
Aside from the idea of performing Peter Pan as a ballet, I am also intrigued by the use of flight in the dance piece. At conferences and demonstrations these flying companies (Fly by Foy, zfx) are always talking about how flight can add to a dance production. I have seen demonstrations using modern and lyrical dance which have a number of quick turns that make a slightly choppy lift integrate seamlessly. Hopefully flight tactics are being used that can add flight as gracefully as the dancers in this ballet production of Peter Pan.
Ballet is such a beautiful art form that requests you to tell a story through dance. That is something that makes going to see such a well know and loved show, such as Peter Pan, a joy because it is a new way to experience the story. Also, they talk about how they are bringing in a new interpretation for some of the characters and adding Tinker belle, which sounds like another interesting addition to changes from the other shows that the audience can enjoy. I remember when I did Peter Pan as a ballet a few years ago and would love to go see it at the Benedum to compare the differences in the production and how the director wanted to interpret it.
I've never seen a ballet version of Peter Pan. For that matter, I've never seen the traditional version either. It feels like a story that might need some serious refreshing to stay enjoyable for today's audiences. The production I saw was at a LORT theatre in Philly that staged the children's version. The stage design worked very hard to keep visual interest. It was a steampunk sort of DIY aesthetic. DIY in the sense that they used some relatively simple but extremely effective tricks. The flying sequence was masterfully done with a work light and a large muslin sheet. Easy, cheap, eye catching.
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