Peter Pan Live!

Source: Imbd.com

Peter Pan Live! had me excited. I watched the backstage special and the commercials, and by the time December 4th came, I was ready to be wowed by the spectacle that NBC was promising me. And alas, I was disappointed. As many reviewers have expressed since the broadcast last week, my reason for being underwhelmed is not that it was bad, it's that it was fine. The cast (with the exception of Kelly O'Hara and Christian Borle who were outstanding) was fine, the choreography was fine, the singing was fine. It was all just fine, but in this case, fine was boring. After last year's tragic production of The Sound of Music - I think Carrie Underwood is still losing sleep over that decision - NBC was looking to up their game. And visually, they certainly did. The elaborate sets that they created for the broadcast looked as though they had taken much time, money and effort. Not to mention that they show included loads of flying, a computerized Tinkerbell and shadow, and a live dog. NBC certainly cannot be accused of shying away from this one. But it felt that in its effort to blow last year out of the water, the show itself got lost. This production felt as though each part had been rehearsed individually, but never actually thought about how it fit together as a whole. 

 Allison Williams in Peter Pan (Source: Nydailynews.com)

First of all, Peter Pan was an odd choice to begin with. The show has always been seriously flawed, since it lacks a catchy score and a cohesive book. It has also always featured a woman in drag as Peter, making some people shift in discomfort when the sexual tension between Peter and Wendy rises. The has always relied on its star to carry it through - i.e. Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby to name a few. This leads me to the second point that Allison Williams was probably not the best choice to play Peter Pan. While she may have been trained in musical theater in high school and college, her singular popular credit, HBO's Girls, is hardly enough to qualify her for a star role. She sung, danced, and acted well enough, but she did not have nearly enough of a compelling spark to carry such a big role or production. I do, however, commend her for her effort. I similarly commend Christopher Walken for his effort in the dancing department, but the rest of his take on hook was pretty much a passive snooze.

                                                                    Allison Williams and Christoper Walken in Peter Pan (Source: thewrap.com)

Overall, I am glad that NBC did the show and I am glad they are making this an annual tradition. For years the media has largely pretended that the theater community does not exist. It is spectacular for Broadway to be given this kind of main stream, primetime exposure. But NBC really needs to get their act together when it comes to the actual production. Last year, they had a great show in The Sound of Music, but the cast and production was dreadful. This year, they threw all their effort into the production value, but all along had the wrong show and the wrong cast. My hopes are high for next year. NBC is soon expected to announce that they will be doing a live production of The Music Man, which with the right cast could be a home run. Here's to hoping!

Last Chance for The Last Ship

I have a lot of respect for Sting, and not Grammy-winning career as the front-man for The Police and solo act (though that is impressive). I have a lot of respect for Sting as a Broadway creator and producer. The Last Ship, which opened in October, is a semi-biographical show created by Sting about his life growing up in a ship-building town in England. In the show, the shipyard is closing, sending the town into a panic since it is where many of the residents make their living. The show is also a love story between the main character, Gideon, who returns to the town after years away, and Meg, who has moved on with someone else. 

It is already impressive enough that Sting conceived of and wrote all of the music for a Broadway show. This is not to say that he is the first rocker to do so. A few years ago Bono and The Edge wrote the music for the failed Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. And a few years before them, David Bryan, who plays the keyboard for Bon Jovi, wrote the music for Memphis.

 Sting at the Neil Simon Theater - Source: Nypost.com

What has been impressive is Sting's undying commitment to the show. Sting was present at all of the show's rehearsals, ready to give guidance and tweak the music wherever it was needed. Many in the cast have said that he has become like a father figure to them. He also joined the promotional tour, accompanying the cast on shows such as Jimmy Fallon and Today. He has been happy to use his star power wherever it is needed to help the show. This is in stark contrast to Bono and the Edge a few years ago with Spiderman. The duo wrote most of the music out on the road, and decided to tour rather than attend rehearsals and even opening night.

The Cast of The Last Ship - Source: Nypost.com

Unfortunately, Sting hasn't been able to keep the show from doing dismally at the box office. Since it started previews, the show has been losing money each week. This led to Sting's most impressive move yet - a few weeks ago, he announce that he will be joining the cast from Dec. 9 through Jan. 10.  This comes after much speculation that he would do so, since he has been performing at the curtain call almost every night, hoping to lure audiences to the show for the chance of getting to see him. This will really be the last chance for The Last Ship. They couldn't succeed with just his name attached to the music, and if they can't succeed with him in the cast, there really is not much more to be done. But certainly if the the show fails, not one person will be able to pin it on Sting's lack of trying.