Peter Pan

• By JUDY BERGERON
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Jun 21, 2009

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HAMMOND — Brandt Blocker’s eyes light up when he talks about Peter Pan. It brings out the kid in him.

So who better to direct the Southeastern Louisiana University Opera-Music Theatre Workshop’s summer production of the timeless classic?

“It’s just a special show,” Blocker said prior to the start of rehearsals June 9. “It’s about holding on to that magic of being a child. We all, in one way or another, would want to hold on to that.”

The musical is an endearing and enduring production, first made popular by actress Mary Martin on the Broadway stage in 1954, with revivals starring Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby. Tinker Bell sprinkles a little fairy dust and the Darling children are whisked off to Neverland by the flying Peter Pan. They meet up with Lost Boys and pirates and that evil Captain Hook. But will Wendy, Michael and John ever get back home to their worried parents?

It was only Blocker’s second day working with the cast of Peter Pan on the Pottle Music Building Auditorium stage on the SLU campus. But the New Orleans native has much more experience with the show. It was his first production after becoming artistic director of Atlanta Lyric Theatre last year. Prior to that, Blocker was a veteran of the New Orleans music theater scene, and guest-directed SLU Opera’s 2007 production of Too Many Sopranos.

“I’ll have two weeks with them (the cast), and then it’s tech week,” Blocker said.

Working out the technical ins and outs of this magical show is somewhat more involved that usual, as several members of the cast will actually fly above the Columbia Theatre stage.

The director said the university is bringing in ZFX, a well-known flying company which was in charge of sending Rigby flying through the air on her tour with Peter Pan.

“The flying is totally directed by them,” Blocker said. “The kids can’t wait to do it. Wendy spins up 20 feet. It’s the last piece of the puzzle.”

But before that, there are scenes to block and tweaking to be done with the large cast, which has already been rehearsing with musical director Alissa Rowe and choreographer Alison Maraman for three weeks prior to Blocker’s arrival.

Blocker guided Captain Hook, Colby McCurdy, through a scene with his bumbling pirates, adding slapstick gestures to Hook’s performance here and there. The actor seemed comfortable with his actual appendage hook, waving it in the face of his pirate sidekick, Smee, played by Scott McDonough.

“His (McCurdy’s) Hook will really be a treat,” Blocker said.

Earlier, the director had run through a scene with the younger kids, the Lost Boys, perfecting their “Pirates!” scream.