Peter Pan: A Valley Youth Production

Just like the atmosphere at the Herberger Theatre Center, the show was professional, despite the age of the performers. Valley Youth Theatre, a theatre dedicated to working with people between the ages of 3 and 19, provides a great experience for both the audience and the young performers.
I was impressed by the talent that these kids have. Vocally, from the very beginning, everyone was spot on. From working through harmonies to keeping up with the orchestra, the kids never missed a beat.
The most outstanding part of the performance was the girl who played the role of Peter Pan. Despite being in high school, she brought a very child-like attitude and was able to portray the persona of the boy who was perpetually living in childhood. However, an aspect that greatly enhanced her performance and the production as a whole was the technical aspect.
The intricate set allowed for the actors to perform at many different levels and for the audience to see different scenes being portrayed at the same time. Not only this, but the intricate fly system that allowed for Peter Pan, Wendy and the others to soar above the set added an appropriately whimsical feel and a depth to the stage
I don’t know if you have ever try to control a bunch of elementary school boys but it is not an easy task, especially when you must coordinate them to dance and sing. VYT was able to not only control but also highlight the talents of the younger children in the production. An obvious complement to the young boys was the performance done by the teenage boys playing Captain Hook’s buccaneers. They provided great comic relief for the audience and seemed almost rowdier than the little boys themselves. You could tell that they really loved what they were doing and that they were having a good time.
The weak acting done by some of the lead roles left me upset at the end of the night. Wendy’s performance lacked the heart that the other roles had. By the end of the production, her bland characterization wasn’t memorable and she could have done more to bring the audience along the journey to Neverland with her. The little kids and rambunctious teenage boys stole the show, even when her character was supposed to be front and center.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the professionalism and the outstanding performance done by the kids from Valley Youth Theatre. It was a performance worth seeing.