Give us your best crow, sprinkle on a little fairy dust and fly on over to see the Upper Perkiomen Middle School production of Peter Pan! Jr. during the public shows on March 6 and 7, 2020 at 7 p.m. in the UPMS Auditorium.

We had a chance to get a preview of the show on March 4, during the annual free show for senior citizens. The senior citizen show was the first time a drama production was presented to the public in the new middle school’s auditorium. 

As one would expect from Peter Pan!, there is a lot of pirate swashbuckling, Lost Boy antics and more than a touch of fairy magic. However, there are some fun, unexpected aspects to UPMS’ version...especially in the presentation of familiar characters and themes.

Without giving too much away, the method used to make Peter and the Darling children fly is a lot of fun; there are many imaginative quirks and innovations in the sets; and the execution of the Nana (Wyatt Derstine) and Crocodile (Kyra Schmoyer) characters is a joy.

The cast as a whole does a magnificent job of bringing the Peter Pan! story to life, and the musical numbers are spot on. The production staff offered a disclaimer before the show, and we were glad they did: all of the vocals are those of UPMS students, and the Tinkerbell character’s “lines” are played live by a student musician (Sydney Creeden). Having this knowledge ahead of time made the show that much more impressive.

Rowan Shelly brings a spritely exuberance to Peter Pan, and Ava Long is a convincingly mature and maternal Wendy Darling, especially when compared to the Lost Boys. Autumn Alderfer makes Brave Girl leader Tiger Lily shine, and the dances of her Brave Girl Ensemble will have you bouncing along in your seat. Tice Hallman brings so much charisma to Captain Hook, that he becomes a villain that you almost can’t help but root for, and his antics with henchman Smee (Mackenzie Halcsin) bring much of the show’s comedic relief.

From the sets to the costumes, casting to execution, stage crew to production staff, UPMS’ Peter Pan! Jr. is a delight from beginning to end. Any tickets that were not sold during the advance purchase window will be available at the door on March 6 and 7 for 7 p.m. shows in the UPMS Auditorium. General admission tickets are still available for Friday ($7) and a few center section reserved seats are available for Saturday ($10), as well as general admission ($7). UPMS doors open at 6 p.m., theatre doors open at 6:30 p.m. Themed refreshments will be available at the show (candy buttons, pirate booty, gold (chocolate) pirate treasure and kisses).

Check out our photo gallery from the free senior citizen show below.