Neverland comes to C. J. Hooker Middle School
Acrobatics as well as acting keep this performance aloft.
| 13 Mar 2022 | 11:57
Keara McCarty and Larianna Bala take center stage as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, respectively. (
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Larianna Bala as Peter bests Dhilan Tawil as Captain Hook in a swordfight.
The ensemble of Peter Pan fills the auditorium with energy and excitement.
I’ve gotta rave about the opening of Peter Pan at C. J. Hooker Middle School. Under the direction of Katherine Loftus, the cast of six, seventh and eighth graders sing, dance, and tumble through a thrilling production of the children’s tale. The musical, adapted from J. M. Barrie’s original story, features music by Moose Charlap and Jule Styne, with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
The first Broadway production opened in 1954 and became an instant classic, with original cast members Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard earning Tony Awards for their performance. Since that production, Peter Pan has had numerous revivals and telecasts. This middle school drama club has big shoes to fill.
Not only do they rise to the occasion, they soar—often quite literally. Renditions of Peter Pan sometimes employ complicated rigging systems to simulate flight. Instead, our Peter, played by Larianna Bala, cartwheels and frontflips, leading the Lost Boys through Neverland with an acrobatic flare.
A Maiden Voyage
Even more impressive yet: due to the pandemic, this is the first time any of these students are performing on their middle school stage.
“We were going to perform Annie right as the pandemic started,” says Gi Peters. “So this is actually our first live play.”
As mask mandates relax, some of these students are seeing each other’s faces for the first time. Dhilan Tawil, who stars as Captain Hook, adds, “While we were practicing [just now], that was actually the first time I had taken my mask off in front of these people.”
When asked why someone should come see live theatre instead of staying home and watching Netflix, actor Jillian Kyrou offers a succinct reply: “When you’re watching [Peter Pan], you can feel the magic.”
Her castmate, Kelsey Jennings, continues, “We get to interact with the audience a lot, and we depend on the audience.”
Tickets for Peter Pan are $12, available at https://hookerms.seatyourself.biz. The showtimes are as follows:
March 18 at 7:00 p.m., March 19 at 3:00 p.m., March 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets for Peter Pan are $12, available at https://hookerms.seatyourself.biz.
Showtimes: March 18 at 7:00 p.m., March 19 at 3:00 p.m., March 19 at 7:00 p.m.
As mask mandates relax, some of these students are seeing each other’s faces for the first time.