Peter Pan Brings the Joy of Youth to Oberlin

J.M. Barrie's Victorian classic Peter Pan, presented by Oberlin Musical Theater Association (OMTA), hits the stage Friday and Saturday night at Wilder Main at 8 p.m. The play begins with the traditional scene in the nursery of Wendy, John and Michael, accompanied by mystical music that prepares the audience for a show of magic of both content and performance. The orchestra, conducted by Jackie Davis, consists of Conservatory students who were randomly asked to participate and according to junior Kelly Larson, who plays the viola, managed to pull everything together with only 2-3 weeks of rehearsal.

Mother, played by sophomore Deborah Rosenstein, enchants the audience with her powerful voice. Father, played by junior Seth Fruiterman, brilliantly captures the essence of a domineering male. Fruiterman also takes on the role of Captain Hook, where he conveys a villain who represents appropriately paralleled aspects of the father's role, but he is still able to create the distinction of two separate characters.

The choreography, arranged by junior Meredith Goldberg, complements the scenes as the carefree and youthful attitudes are not only projected by words, but also through movement and dance. Many childish dances are incorporated, such as how a child might mimic a tango or the tarantella. The scenery cleverly mirrors this sense of youthful blithenesss with few trees, which are depicted as children would paint them.

Junior Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud, as Peter Pan, thrills the viewers through every scene of the play. Never lacking in energy, Wolfman-Robichaud playfully bounds about the stage fully equipped with great stage presence as well as a talented voice. She convincingly fills her role from pretending to fly to dancing tantalizingly around Captain Hook.

The 25 children actors who join these talented actors clearly stole the show, as well as audience members' hearts. One scene did not pass without an "awww" from the audience. Children fill roles such as John, played by Kyle Igneczi, Michael, played by Michaela Jackson-Smith, Nana the nanny dog, Karen Reynolds, the crocodile, Gena Reynolds, The Lost Boys and the Indians. As children from as young as five years old filled the stage, and every line and step came right on cue.

The children emanate the aspects at the core of Peter Pan: youthfulness, innocence and just plain fun. When asked if they were scared at all or had any trouble memorizing their lines, the only answer was, "no, of course not" from all of the children. When Wolfman-Robichaud was asked what it is like to work with the children she replied, "It's hard to leave the show and not still be flying."

Fruiterman said, "It's really fun to work with this age group because they are all good people-not like college students."

But where did these children come from? Senior director Laura Shepherd said that many of the children had performed in her earlier production of The Wizard of Oz. Shepherd recruited the young actors by placing announcements in the Oberlin News Tribune, and hung signs at local schools thus attracting the best young talent from Oberlin, Lorain, Elyria and other neighboring towns. She also conducted auditions to confirm the best actors for the roles. Shepherd's efforts definitely paid off, as many of the children's solo songs melted the audience.

Recruiting 25 young children was not the only obstacle Shepherd faced while putting this hit together. She and Davis struggled with many aspects and implications of the play pertaining to overt racism, gender roles and family structures. They grappled with the question of whether the musical was "a simple and harmless show" or if there were offensive lines in the script. Should they modify and, if so, what? Shepherd and Davis contacted many resources, including the American Indian Council, to shed light on this dilemma.

Ultimately, she created workshops were created in hopes of educating the cast about such aspects as "native culture" and "everyday life for children in England." By opting for this informative attack on the obstacle involving something more than just political correctness, Shepherd and Davis hope to facilitate discussions based on such issues.

Regardless of such serious subjects that could have posed problems for the production of this musical, the presentation remains very enjoyable and energetic with an overall milieu of positively. Above and beyond any questionable themes, this performance of Peter Pan represents a bond between Oberlin College and the surrounding community, which far exceeds in importance above any other concern.