By Jasmine Jenkins | Special to the NB Indy
The national tour of Peter Pan flew into the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on August 6. A children’s book classic with plenty of modern references (e.g. Wendy’s TikTok account), Peter Pan never gets old, and the touring performance is certainly a testament to the story’s timelessness.
Making his national tour debut at just 17 years old, Orange County native Nolan Almeida plays Peter Pan to perfection. He loves performing so obviously that it’s impossible for audiences not to love him back. With his boyish charm and radiant tenor voice, Almeida is the driving force on stage.
While Almeida’s Peter Pan is the ideal hero, Cody Garcia is a delightful villain as Captain Hook. His cartoonish physical comedy, mixed with just the right amount of flamboyance, had the audience laughing.
If there’s one thing Peter Pan couldn’t do without, it’s flight. Flight sequence choreographer Paul Rubin and projection designer David Bengali worked together to create the illusion of flight. Peter, Wendy, John and Michael soared over rooftops, past the second star on the right and all the way to Neverland in a fantasy that Rubin and Bengali made a reality.
Anna Louizos, the set designer, brought Neverland to life through masterfully designed sets. The transitions from place to place were seamless, adding to the magic of the show.
Peter Pan at Segerstrom is a must-see, ideal for younger audiences but entertaining for people of all ages. The show runs through August 18, tickets are available at www.scfta.org.
