Peter Pan and Tinkerbell: A Pirates Christmas which opened on Friday at the Scherr Forum Theater in Thousand Oaks, is the latest seasonal offering from Lythgoe Family Productions.
Although we Brits need no introduction to panto, it’s still mostly a mystery to American audiences, but writer and producer Kris Lythgoe hopes to change that, recently describing it as a great way to get all ages involved in going to the theatre.
“We put in pop songs and then obviously it’s the songs that the kids know, so they get to sing along to it. So it’s a lot of fun. But we encourage kids to make a lot of noise.”
“It derives from Shakespeare. So it has that interactive fun, very lighthearted skew on a story that everyone knows,” said Lythgoe.
“It’s certainly not that time where you, like, sit down and be quiet. This is about bringing the families together, multi-generational, experiencing something that you can all take something different from,” he said.
“I come from a family that was behind all that the American Idol shows and the So You Think You Can Dance shows. And we always marvel at the fact how popular it was with all ages – because the grandparents would like Ruben Studdard, but the kid would like, let’s say, Carrie Underwood. And so there is something that each generation can take from those shows. And it’s the same with panto,” said Lythgoe.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the beastly Hook, played by Seinfeld’s John O’Hurley, who admits Hook is “terrifying” – but “he’s not the best pirate. Remember, a 12 year old boy lopped off his arm and fed it to a crocodile so he can’t be the best of swordsmen. And he’s got a lunatic crew that seems to follow him around everywhere. It’s a lot of tongue in cheek,” he said.
O’Hurley described the panto experience as “a show that is accessible to everyone.”
“Whatever this story is that everybody knows, and they layer in popular music, they layer in contemporary choreography, and they try to make a fun story out of it. And that’s what panto is. But what makes panto special is that the audience can interact with the actors on stage. So if you want to scream and warn them and they probably are encouraging you to do that, then you can do so. That’s what makes it fun. So the kids don’t have to sit on their hands.”
“It’s a kind of a healthy interaction. You just have to know that the edges are all kind of round, you know, nothing is sharp and quick, and it has to be said that way. There’s no reason you can’t stop and add a line and or two or take one out if you have to. But the story is still there. The music is there, the choreography is there, and the kids have a wonderful time,” said O’Hurley.
Peter Pan and Tinkerbell: A Pirates Christmas runs through December 29 at the Scherr Forum Theater in Thousand Oaks.
For tickets, click HERE
