Peter Pan Live (NBC)

[jjj]

Okay, Nana the Dog was fabulous.  Turning down the bed!

[theredhead77]

Live from the West Coast

 

The [lack of] age gap between Wendy and Peter Pan is distracting. I guess it makes the unrequited love* Wendy has for Peter Pan less awkward?

 

*I don't remember that from the story but I could just be forgetting things.

 

It also seemed that Walken's Hook was a lot less animated than the rest of the pirates and that he was phoning in a lot of the dance moves.

Edited December 5, 2014 by theredhead77

[glowlights]

Whoever played wee Jane... I'm rooting for that girl!

[VCRTracking]

Last thought was: "Minnie Driver?! Wha-?"

[Kindred Spirit]

My mom and I watched this version, and enjoyed it, for the most part. Doesn't hold a candle to the Mary Martin version, for me. I decided I must have slept through a lot near the end, back when they broadcast the Martin/Ritchard version, since there were numbers I didn't remember. (We had a very early bedtime all of my youth, with a few annual exceptions like Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz.) Mom liked the songs and dancing, and had far less trouble with how old the Lost "Boys" look than I did. I sang along a fair amount, which she was generous enough to tolerate.

 

Lots of credit to all involved, since I couldn't possibly have performed as well, but there was a spark and verve that colors my childhood memories that's missing here. I know they rehearsed and trained for months, but maybe they could have used even a little bit longer? I loved all the snark here, but I must be feeling sentimental--I can't bring myself to type out my catty comments, and I just want to congratulate the cast for pulling it off.

 

P. S. How ya doin' today, glowlights? Hope your head's not killing you!

Edited December 5, 2014 by Kindred Spirit

[jjj]

They did add new songs; the one Kelly O'Hara sang right before the children reappeared was completely new (it sounded like Sondheim lite to me). 

[Rickster]

I think this production was actually better than The Sound of Music. Everything ran more smoothly, the acting was generally better, the sets were more attractive, etc. However, TSOM had highs and lows. Peter Pan was kind of average and boring throughout. Also, TSOM is just a superior musical. It has better songs and a better book. Peter Pan can't help but pale in comparison even though I think the cast and production did a better job here.

This pretty much mirrors my opinion. I was thinking for about the first hour, "wow, this is far better done than The Sound of Music", but then it began to drag, which was a fault of the book, not the direction or production.

I thought when they announced this show it was a mistake, as it was not a great show to begin with, and with one casting exception, i think they did as good a job as they could.

For all the people who complained about the casting of Williams, i thought she she a decent job. The problem with the production was Walken. I don't know if he was phoning it in, i prefer to think he was not up to the job at his age with his lack of musical experience. They tried to camouflage it with a good and energetic pirate crew, but in some ways it made it worse.

[Milburn Stone]

They did add new songs; the one Kelly O'Hara sang right before the children reappeared was completely new (it sounded like Sondheim lite to me). 

 

Just as a point of information, there were no songs that were completely new. A few songs (like the one you mention) were originally written by Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green for other musicals, then interpolated into this latest production with new lyrics by Amanda Green (daughter of Adolph Green).

 

These are not to be confused with the songs Styne, Comden and Green did write for the original Peter Pan, like "Neverland" for instance.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Milburn Stone

[MyAimIsTrue]

I think this production was actually better than The Sound of Music. Everything ran more smoothly, the acting was generally better, the sets were more attractive, etc. However, TSOM had highs and lows. Peter Pan was kind of average and boring throughout. Also, TSOM is just a superior musical. It has better songs and a better book. Peter Pan can't help but pale in comparison even though I think the cast and production did a better job here.

 

I agree completely.  Outside of Audra, Christian and Laura I thought TSOM was horrible but as weak as many parts were of Peter Pan the sets were great, the acting much better, and the feel overall was more enjoyable (even if TSOM, like you said, is a vastly superior show.) 

[alexa]

I found this so boring, and I just couldn't get into any of the characters.  I think some of them did "fine", but they certainly weren't attention grabbing.  I don't know if it is that they chose that wrong musical or if it could have been done better to be more interesting.  Peter Pan was especially difficult for me to watch--she did okay but I just didn't care about the character at all.

[Mountainair]

What this really did for me was make me want to watch the Mary Martin version. I grew up on that one (born in the 80's) and didn't even know there was a cartoon version or any other version until the late 90's. 

 

Last night's production wasn't bad and I too thought it was better put together than TSOM. I haven't seen the Mary Martin version in years but as soon as I heard the songs I was immediately taken back and remembered all the words like it was yesterday. So for that, I'd say NBC pulled it off! For Captain Hook having such a large role (Almost larger a role than Peter Pan) I think Christopher Walken was not the best choice. They needed someone about 10-15 years younger who could bring some spunk and energy to the role. 

 

I hope this got decent ratings as I'll never be able to attend a Broadway production of anything so I appreciate the theater being brought to me in the comfort of my home at a less expensive cost to me. Beggars can't be choosers so I'll take what I can get. I wonder what they will do next year? Grease would be cool as would Lion King but I saw a commercial for Wicked last night and thought it would be fun to see them do The Wizard of Oz.

[Fabricationary]

For Captain Hook having such a large role (Almost larger a role than Peter Pan) I think Christopher Walken was not the best choice. They needed someone about 10-15 years younger who could bring some spunk and energy to the role. 

 

If I recall correctly, in stage productions, the actor who plays Mr. Darling usually plays Captain Hook as well (since he's the misunderstood (?) 'bad guy' who antagonizes the children in both cases).  I think it would have been better if they had gone this route here, and had Broadway vet Christian Borle play Hook instead of Smee.  At least he wouldn't have phoned it in like Walken.  But this production was doomed to be a snarkfest from the beginning, so it's not like it would have mattered much.

[Haleth]

LOL  You guys are hilarious and brutal. 

I applaud NBC for continuing to do this and am willing to overlook the flaws.  Quality family programming is so rare.  How wonderful is it to introduce kids to classic Broadway musicals?  I thought Allison was delightful, certainly not Mary Martin, but she handled a very physically demanding role well.  I enjoyed Walken too.  Maybe it was his choice to portray Hook as weary of life and so over the feud.  Or maybe he was stoned.  I do agree that the casting of Wendy and the Lost Boys was awful.  Why they didn't go with younger actors is beyond me.  Some of the scenes with Wendy playing their mother were really creepy and the adoption scene was embarrassing.  (And to the poster way back a few pages who questioned this, yes, that is the story, that Wendy was going to be their "mother.")  

 

Best thing?  No more damn promos!

Edited December 5, 2014 by Haleth

[Notwisconsin]

"Believe in fairies" Nowadays!?

That was the part I was dreading. I knew about the extra songs and all, and considering this was always a musical, the mother singing about her lost children was fine, but the breaking the fourth wall part, where Peter talks directly to the audience, was totally mishandeled, Williams should have grabbed the camera lens or something. The reason it worked (barely) in the original Broadway version is that little children were in the audience in a real theater, and if you're four or six you can get into something like that.

 

I guess it was the most difficult thing to do, dramatically and they failed.

[MelsW]

I liked this production well enough and I thought Allison Williams did a good job with the singing and acting. I can’t say the same for Christopher Walken. Is he aware that he was that bad? He was putting about 50 percent effort into the choreography. They may as well have carried him around on that throne/chair throughout the entire show to spare him the embarrassment. If his choreography wasn’t bad enough, there was the singing. Oh god, the singing. Did no one coach him? Were they just trying to get by on the Walken name alone?

[Crisopera]

Too bad they didn't have Christian Borle play Hook (and Mr. Darling), since he played a version of Hook in Peter and the Starcatcher recently on Broadway.  I thought it wasn't terrible, but not great either, much like Alison Williams.  She seemed as if she was doing a good community theater version of the show.  I thought Christopher Walken was entertaining, but he did seem rather enervated (I did like the tap number).  He did make me laugh out loud after Wendy's "inspirational" speech to the Lost Boys about how they should die like gentlemen, when he turned and said, "That's it?"  Altogether I thought it was better than SOM, but I agree about the geriatric casting of the children - it was especially egregious next to the real young kids who played John and Michael. God knows, Broadway can field armies of young kid performers.  And shouldn't Nana (adorable as she was) have been a Saint Bernard or Newfoundland?

[Dilandau]

it was especially egregious next to the real young kids who played John and Michael.

 

I wonder why they went this route. I was reading something about Peter Pan last night and it said

 

Apparently, it was Broadway producer Charles Frohman who suggested that a woman should play the role because casting a boy would affect the rest of the children in the ensemble, who "would have to be scaled down in proportion."

So if that's the case I don't understand why they used real kids for John and Michael. 

[JAYJAY1979]

It does pay to.have low.expectations of miss Williams playing Peter pan. While.she didn't set the world on.fire,, she was.decent.

[Misslindsey]

I thought Allison Williams was fine with the singing, but something about her version of Peter was very bland and not very fun. That probably isn't all her fault though.

[Good Queen Jane]

I have seen Peter Pan live with professional stage actors probably 5 times and this production makes me appreciate the difference and the superiority of stage over TV productions. Most stages are 1/4 the size of the the sets they had for this production and yet this seemed so cramped. In the last stage show I saw,  the Tiger Lily and the Indians dance number was breath-taking; this one not so much. And they would have been better served to use a real light for Tinkerbell than the graphic that never quite got to the place that it was supposed to be.

 

Also, am I wrong or did Hook fail to pull out his sword at his first meeting with Peter Pan on the rocks and was threatening him with an empty hand? He did get his sword out by the end of the scene. Poor Christopher Walken! I hope they got him back to the home before he fell completely asleep.

[cpcathy]

I did not watch, but I have heard about Walken's performance. A smart person on this thread said they should have cast Ewan MacGregor, and now I think that would have been fantastic!

[Spartan Girl]

Ewan McGregor would have been great.  My friend and I also thought Dustin Hoffman or Tom Hiddleston would have been way better as Hook than Christopher Walken, but those cheapskates at NBC never would have thought of that.

 

All I can say is that I did Peter Pan in 4th grade and we did it WAAAAAAAY better than this.  And of course the Mary Martin version is superior.

[LGGirl]

I think Hugh Jackman as Hook would have been awesome. Walken was such a disappointment. He was so bad that he made Allison look good.

Allison did a descent job. Just lacked the fire of Mary Martin or Cathy Rigby. She also didn't have the right look.

I thought that the production was lackluster. There were some nice parts but the energy level was not there. It was like rehearsals burnt them out and were just wanted to get this over with.

[Ohwell]

There was something off putting about Allison Williams made up as a boy.  I found it hard to look at her and she reminded me of Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry.

[glowlights]

First of all, I would like to apologize for my drunken rampage.

 

Here's where I eat crow ( ha ha gotta crow!!): Allison Williams was not nearly as bad as I expected and she got through it like a trouper. BUT her interpretation was really bland and flat, which was an odd choice for Peter bloody Pan, of all characters, and i wonder if all the energy was spent in teaching her how to dangle from a harness rather than, you know, acting. Or movement. Dear god she's all shoulders and elbows.

 

Seeing Walken like that broke my heart. He can be such a dynamic stage presence. I hope he's not ill. I liked Taylor Louderman's performance okay and Borle stole the show.

 

Still, I agree with the opinion upthread that this was a nice opportunity for children (and adults!) to experience a musical. Next time why not really do a live show in a theatre (pack the seats with celebrities if necessary) with the whole nation tuning in. The performers would have the benefit of a live audience's energy to draw from and project to, and the t.v. audience would be spared all the weird claustrophobic swoopy camera work of these enclosed sets. It would have been a lot more fun to clap for Tinker Bell. Also it wouldn't have felt so weird when Allison Williams stared into the camera. She honestly scared the shit out of me.

 

Over all it was just really boring, even with a bottomless wine glass, and I'm a sucker for musicals and children's stories - usually I'm all smiles and singing along. In conclusion: they really needed an animatronic crocodile. :)

 

eta: Whimsey thank you for the link to the article about Bowdie and his trainer!!

Edited December 5, 2014 by glowlights

[bmoore4026]

Why do I feel like Wheat Thins?

 

You're remembering Sandy Duncan?

[bosawks]

You're remembering Sandy Duncan?

 

Yes I am!  The Peter Pan of my youth.

[ABay]

A smart person on this thread said they should have cast Ewan MacGregor [as Hook], and now I think that would have been fantastic!

That was me! Back on page 1. Once they said it was Walken I wasn't going to watch, and then Borle was announced so I had to watch. Damn you, Borle! Damn you to pirate bicep hell!

 

Allison Williams' voice was adequate but as everyone has already said, what a boring Peter. The whole production seemed to lack spark and a sense of humor about itself that was very odd. Kids might take this at face value, but adults get the camp and inherent silliness. This, like cartoons, should've played to both sensibilities.

 

I also echo everyone's comments about the Lost Men, geriatric Wendy, etc. I'm not a fan of child actors (could not understand a word Michael said) but there must be capable boy actors aged somewhere between 13 and AARP.

 

I did love the pirates' songs, because nothing is ever not fabulous about singing, dancing pirates.

Edited December 5, 2014 by ABay

[BigBlueMastiff]

Allison Williams sucked, she's just so average. You are supposed to have fun playing Peter Pan and she looks just as bored as she does on Girls. If the best you can say about her is that she did an pokay job, that is not good, and I'm pretty servicable is not what anyone wants to hear about their performance. Walken was awful, and I wonder why would he even agree to do this? At least with AW, you know it's about exposure, but why would someone like Christopher Walken do this???

[bmoore4026]

At least with AW, you know it's about exposure, but why would someone like Christopher Walken do this???

 

Gotta pay the bills some how.

[opus]

Is this still on track?

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/04/28/fox-grease/

I can't find any info dated after April.

 

Answering myself, I finally found an updated mention of the project:

 

>>>>>>Readers are pointing out the show might have performed better if NBC had selected a stronger title than Peter Pan as a follow up to Sound of Music. Once suspects Fox might have better ratings luck with its upcoming production of Grease, though the network has been struggling to find its two leads.<<<<<<

[hoosier80]

Allison Williams was ok in the role of Peter Pan, but she seemed lacking in charisma.  I found some old videos of the Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby versions.  The Mary Martin version had less spectacular effects and I didn't really buy her as a boy - but damn she sold it.  She eventually became Peter for me.  Even the slightest gestures and reactions were on point.  Cathy Rigby also didn't look like a boy up close, but she acted more like a boy.  All I saw Allison do was to prop up her feet on the window, or table, or something.  Even when she did the lines up to the I Gotta Crow, she lacked the cockiness and real joy needed.  Sometimes it seemed like she was reading the phone book, it was such a normal tone of voice.

 

Christopher Walken seemed wooden and slow.  The end fight with Peter looked like geriatric swordfighting 101.  I also watched Cyril Ritchard as Hook.  He hammed it up and you could see he was having fun with the role.  Christian Borle would've given the role more energy.  I'd love to see Nathan Lane camp it up (probably too much money for NBC to spend) or even someone with manic energy like Jack Black.    Very disappointed with Walken, as I thought that was terrific casting.

 

I believe they're doing the Music Man next.  One review I saw today, said oh give the lead to Christian Borle.  He sure commits to every role.  Another suggested Eric McCormack who did play the role on Broadway.  Suggestions for Marian were Laura Osnes or Laura Benati, but I bet we see more stunt casting for the leads. The thing is, Marian's songs require a trained singer (soprano) to done properly, so please no Taylor Swift.  Lovely girl, but I don't think she has the vocal range for it.

 

Ratings were down for this one compared to SOM, but NBC needed to schedule it on a weekend so maybe schoolchildren could've stayed up later to watch it all.

[ABay]

WRT The Music Man, I would love to see Borle as Harold Hill but I think a MM production can survive with lackluster leads as long as Marcellus, Mrs. Paroo, Mayor Shinn, and Mrs. Eulalie MacKechnie Shinn knock it out of the park. Ye gods!

Edited December 5, 2014 by ABay

[meatball77]

Music Man?  It's been done fairly recently, with Kristin Chenowith as Marian. 

 

I'd love them to cast broadway veterans as the leads and leave the stunt casting for the side roles.

[gwlisa]

What were the ratings overall? And are there any ratings data for the first hour compared to the rest of the show?

I posted before my reservations about doing Peter Pan. I imagine a lot of people were like me and got excited and tuned in and then tuned out when we realized none of the songs were very good. I have seen Peter Pan before but it's just so forgettable. I think a musical can't be great without excellent, memorable songs. How many people on the street could probably name three songs from TSOM before last year's live performance? Probably a lot.

The only Pan song I could think of was Never smile at a crocodile... Was that a Disney song?

[ancslove]

Never Smile was from the Disney movie.

 

I thought Allison Williams was good with the mischievous, cocky part of Peter Pan - I liked her in I Won't Grow Up.  But in the second half, when Peter is speechifying to the Lost Boys about fighting for Neverland, or trying to get Wendy to understand the danger, she was off.  She was a more natural leader in the "Build Wendy a house" scene, but in dialogue, I didn't buy Peter as a leader and fighter.  Maybe that was deliberate, but Tiger Lily played her lines about the greatness of Peter Pan straight.

 

I'd forgotten quite how creepy this show is, especially with Hook and the Pirates wanting Wendy to be their mother.  

[opus]

What were the ratings overall? And are there any ratings data for the first hour compared to the rest of the show?

https://tvline.com/2014/12/05/peter-pan-live-ratings/

[gingerormaryann]

Anyone recommending "Grease".  Have you ever seen the original show, not the sanitized one that Broadway has been presenting.  It's a rough, crude and somewhat unpleasant.  The movie was fun and did a good job of presenting the show ala "Happy Days" or "Laverne and Shirley" but it bore little similarity to what was at one time, the longest running show in Broadway history. 

[Rick Kitchen]

 

Melissa Joan Whoever's husband seems like a judgemental asshole. Is this part of the show?

 

I don't understand this comment.  Was Mark Wilkerson in this production?

[Bill C.]

Three words: endless child endangerment.

 

Having said that...honestly, I tend to agree with the earlier comments that this was definitely a better-produced and executed effort than The Sound of Music Live! but that it was also a more average overall work.  Hell, if nothing else we didn't have to deal with our old friend THE FAN.  (In fairness, TSOML! also had Audra frigging MacDonald's monster voice.)  Not being terribly familiar with any of the previous stage works--though I'll probably end up watching one or two over the weekend--I though it came off all right, though I'm currently undecided on whether Christopher Walken's perpetually downer Hook was a novel acting choice or a borderline happy trainwreck.  And Allison Williams had her moments (and she certainly looked like she was having a blast as Peter Pan), randomly manifesting accent notwithstanding.

[Readalot]

Well my six year loves it so far (she was only able to see the the first hour before bedtime). So there is that. I absolutely love CW but this was sad. He so looked like he could care less. Just sad. Marnie gets a C. Exactly what I expected. Wendy's bad dye job was extremely distracting. Marnie forgot a word in the beginning in the bedroom. Hee hee.

[alexa]

I went back and watched some of what I missed and I have to say that although CW was not amazing he and his pirates were the only remotely interesting parts. Any scene with Peter Pan made me cringe.

[Mountainair]

Oh, The Music Man would be awesome! My one and only foreray into the acting world was our towns local theater production of The Music Man when I was 13. I played a glorified extra, it was such fun! since then I've kept myself hidden away in the orchestra pit :)

[HighQueenEB]

I decided to watch this last night, mostly because while I'm not too familiar with Peter Pan the musical I do want to support NBC's efforts to bring live theater to television.  I started falling asleep in parts, but I'm not sure if that's because I was tired or because the production was that tepid - probably a combination of both.  Walken was...  Not good.  I had some misgivings about his casting - I alternated between thinking this was a brilliant choice because of his quirky acting style could lend itself to a campy sort of Hook and then I'd think that perhaps he was too low energy for the role.  Allison Williams was okay.  Nothing great and while her voice was decent it was a little thin in spots, and that showed with someone like Kelli O'Hara in the Mother role.  Heck, I thought Louderman had a stronger voice than Williams.  Like everyone else, I was a bit taken aback by the choice to cast older actors for all of the children, the Lost Boys and Indians.  All in all, I've already deleted this from my DVR and definitely won't be purchasing the DVD or asking for it for Christmas like I did last year (in my defense, TSOM is my all-time favorite musical and I grew up listening to my mom's album of the original Broadway cast recording).

 

If the rumor is true and next year NBC is bringing us The Music Man, I'm in!  After TSOM, TMM is my second-favorite musical.  While it would be wonderful to see Borle rewarded with the lead role, I almost would rather see him in the Marcellus role.  Who wouldn't want to see him dance the Shipoopi?  He might be good as Mayor Quinn or Charlie the Anvil Salesman but then we wouldn't hear him sing at all.  Agree that the stunt casting needs to be kept to a minimum for Marian.  Professor Hill's role could be successfully stunt cast though.

Edited December 6, 2014 by HighQueenEB

[aradia22]

 

One review I saw today, said oh give the lead to Christian Borle.  He sure commits to every role.

Did he commit? Because his accent was all over the place. Of course, I've seen him try accents in Sweeney Todd and Smash and they seem a little slippery for him so maybe sustained serious accents just aren't his thing. He seems to need to make it very broad and even then he can't stick to one. That said, none of that would be a problem for The Music Man but I'd also rather see them bring another actor into the fold. Go on, impress me. He's too old for it now but a Peter Gallagher Music Man could have fun. It's not a big singing part. You can Rex Harrison your way through most of it. But pick someone who will really commit. 

[pasdetrois]

Some vintage Christopher Walken - at 1:45 minutes in he lets it rip:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54iR0xFkEfQ

[callmebetty]

Some vintage Christopher Walken - at 1:45 minutes in he lets it rip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=54iR0xFkEfQ

Thanks for posting that. Goes to show how good he was in his prime.

[ABay]

Re: Borle

Did he commit?

His Smee was fun, especially when it was him and the two other bloody buccaneers and each a murderous [pause] crook. But I was underwhelmed by Mr. Darling, especially in the opening scene. I'm not sure what he was going for there.

[glowlights]

I don't understand this comment.  Was Mark Wilkerson in this production?

 

The Walmart commercials. Or maybe Peter Pan was just a commercial for Walmart.... I almost died (twice) when he said "Tinkerbell is a FAIRY (who can fly)." It came out - unintentionally I'm sure - almost like a pejorative, which was hilarious to me. He said something else that sounded disapproving. Walmart commercials aren't his strong suit. Or flying fairies.

 

WRT to Walken and why he would take this role, I recall reading an interview with him in Script (?) in which he indicated that he's up for different roles. He'd love to be offered a job playing a nice suburban father (or something along those lines) because it would be fun to play against type. He's also happy to take roles for lesser pay in indie projects, again if it looks fun for him. The offer to play Captain Hook may have fallen into one or both categories. A lot of actors pay lip service to those ideas but in his case I do believe it's sincere. 

 

Gingerormaryann, That's exactly why - in my twisted world - a revival of Grease would be fun. :) Just thinking about the faces of all those crazy helicopter parents when they see what they let their kids stay up late to watch...

[gingerormaryann]

Glowlights, the helicopter parents wouldn't make it through the first ten minutes, where the F word is said at least twice.  I have to say that Sandy's transformation in the play is much more disturbing than in the movie.  It appears she changes as a nod to peer pressure as Sandy abandons whatever dreams and principles she has (and she aspires to the Middle Class, which Rizzo understands she will never achieve if she sleeps with Danny) so she can be part of the Pink Ladies. 

 

As for Peter Pan, there's not much to say.  It's family friendly, as was SOM but it wasn't good TV.  Those flying sequences are indeed magic in the theatre but it simply doesn't translate to TV.  I've heard kids screaming with delight during the scene, even in "Jerome Robbins' Broadway" but it just looked lame on TV.  The special had the looks of a Sid and Marty Krofft Saturday morning show (which was fantastic) but there was nothing to put on the set.  It's only a few days after the broadcast and I can hardly remember Allison Williams name, much less anything she did.