The €17 million (Dh86m) musical Peter Pan: The Never Ending Story, which has been seen by 160,000 people in Europe, will have its Middle East premiere in Dubai on Wednesday. Conceptualised and directed by Luc Petit (who also worked on the sets of Cirque du Soleil), Peter Pan claims to be one of the world’s most technologically advanced productions, complete with a set equipped with special effects. Peter Pan even flies across the stage without a harness.
In the week leading up to their first show in the UAE, the lead stars performed at various schools and hospitals in Dubai, and were completely in character: Sandor Sturbl, who plays Peter Pan, wore a dark-green latex suit with tiny roses sewn onto the sleeves and Wendy, played by Lilly-Jane Young, had on a faded, teal-coloured frock. They are so often in costume, they say, people have forgotten their real names.
Peter and Wendy
Peter Pan made a special appearance in the 1902 novel The Little White Bird by J M Barrie. Barrie, also a playwright, developed the character for a stage show in 1904 and continued the adventure in the fictional world of Neverland in the book Peter and Wendy in 1911.
“What I love about the story is that it is completely timeless,” says Young, who is from Scotland. “Whether you are 5 or 50, you never lose that part of your childhood. My grandfather is well into his 70s and Peter Pan is still his favourite.”
But Young says she initially had reservations about how the high-tech adaptation would be received by fans of the popular tale.
“We are not a Disney production and neither is this a straight adaptation of the book,” she says. “We have managed to take something that has been adapted a million times before and made something that will be remembered.”
Creating Neverland
The show will have 50 actors, dancers, singers and special performers, supported by a 55-member crew.
Sturbl says the challenge in playing Peter Pan in this production is to grab the audience’s attention without being overshadowed by the grand sets and stunts. “We use a 3-D projection on stage,” says the 28-year-old actor. “So the audience has a feeling that they are being dragged into Neverland with Peter.
“At the same time we have to make sure they do not get lost in all that and have to direct their attention to the characters.”
Instead of a physical set, a digital mapping technique is used to create the place through LED projection.
“We project Neverland onto the stage,” says Young. “Rather than a painted set that can’t move, our set is ‘alive’. You can see the flowers grow and move in the wind, the rainfall, a whale swimming. These are things that have never been achieved in theatre.”
Even more spectacular is the wire-free flying on stage. By building a wind turbine on set, the technical crew create a wind tunnel with speeds of 320kph, allowing trained skydivers to do backflips and spins at a height of 10 metres without a harness or safety net.
“And it looks like they are flying for real,” says Sturbl, who has to leave the stunt to the professionals.
Lost Boys – and Girls
Peter Pan will be leading a team of children from the Emirates, who will be The Lost Boys and Girls of Neverland in the play. Yak Events, the organisers of the production in Dubai, conducted rehearsals to select 20 children to participate in three scenes in the show. And the Lebanese singer Myriam Fares has been roped in to play Tinker Bell on the opening night.
Music maketh the story
Matt Dunkley, who has worked on movies including Moulin Rouge, The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean, has arranged the music for the production where the songs advance the plot. The composer has selected well-known pop songs including Randy Crawford’s One Day I’ll Fly Away, Robbie William’s Angels and Alphaville’s Forever Young.
“I didn’t want it to be a jukebox musical,” says Dunkley. “I have treated every song in a very different way and every song adds something to the story. I did not want the score to stop and then a song to start. It’s all blended in.”
The Lebanese singer Myriam Fares on being Tinker Bell
Are you a fan of the fairy tale? When did you read the story first?
I am a big fan of Peter Pan. My first time was when I watched the movie as a kid. It was part of my childhood.
Can you tell us about your role in this production?
I play Tinker Bell, Peter Pan’s best friend. I was allowed to extend my vocals to the song You Raise Me Up and perform a beautiful musical scene.
What has the experience been like working on this production?
Truly unique and joyful. The experience will surely help me in my future plans – I am working on a similar musical production, which includes most of my songs in a special fusion of Oriental art and our own rich culture.
Peter Pan: The Never Ending Story is on at Dubai World Trade Centre from Wednesday to March 13. Tickets cost from Dh195 and are available on www.platinumlist.net
[ aahmed@thenational.ae ]
