The opening scene of “Peter Pan” contains one of those select moments that is more than special. When Peter tells young Wendy, John and Michael Darling about Neverland, J.M. Barrie's play seizes the audience's imagination in so brisk a manner that the moment becomes transcendent. At that moment, the parents join their children in believing in the world's magical possibilities.
David Wilcox / The Citizen
The crew of Captain Hook's ship dances during rehearsals for “Peter Pan,” which will premiere at to the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse Wednesday, June 27.
The crew of Captain Hook's ship dances during rehearsals for “Peter Pan,” which will premiere at to the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse Wednesday, June 27.
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse will realize this moment when they bring “Peter Pan” to its stage starting Wednesday, June 27.
To immerse audiences in the illusion of Neverland, the Playhouse's costume shop has spent countless hours designing and crafting the dress of Peter Pan and Captain Hook.
Guest costume designer Laura Simcox wanted to add depth to Peter's trademark green garments. Rather than outfitting actress Amy Griffin with solid forest-colored fabrics, Simcox layered a transparent green cloth with a lattice pattern over another one with its own detailed design.
“There's that idea that Peter is magic and lives in the forest, so there's a hint of light and shadow,” Simcox said. “There's a different and interesting view every time Peter turns.”
The bold green shades of the costume will contrast sharply with the fiery orange hair of Griffin, who has previously graced stages as Pan. But she has not done so in duds quite as sharp as those created by the Playhouse shop.
“It's the most magical-looking of anything I've worn,” Griffin said. “It's like nothing an Earthling would wear, this has a real sparkle to it.”
Designing a costume for Pan also presented Simcox with the problem of meeting people's expectations. People who have seen “Peter Pan” - on stage, in animation or live action film - carry a certain idea of how the boy who never grew up must look.
“At this point it'd be weird if Peter wasn't played by a woman, but the audience wants the costume to make her look like a boy,” Simcox said.
Simcox estimates the shop spent more than 40 hours completing the Peter Pan costume. Although that figure may seem large, it is dwarfed by the 100 hours logged on Captain Hook's pirate garb. Obtaining the boots alone was the object of some trouble for Simcox.
“They were on backorder,” she said. “Everyone wants to be Jack Sparrow.”
The black leather stompers - which stretch almost two feet in length - were one of the only components of Hook's costume with which actor James Van Treuren could acquaint himself during rehearsals.
“I can't wait to see everyone in costume, we're going to be having so much fun looking at each other in costume it'll be tough to get to work,” he said.
The pointy extremity for which Hook is named was pieced together from parts collected at Lowe's. The hook itself was fashioned from one used to hang a bicycle. When Van Treuren saw the detailed drawing for his flowing red robe, patterned purple vest and pants with shiny violet stripes, he was, for lack of a better term, hooked.
“I fell in love with it; she's obviously a really talented designer who did her homework,” he said.
The hook is one of several examples of objects and costume components that Simcox sought to design herself for the Playhouse production, rather than find at rental shops.
“There's the Disney 'Pan' and the Cathy Rigby versions, but we didn't want to do either,” Simcox said.
Peter's Lost Boys, the Indians and the pirates on Hook's ship will be wearing a mix of rented clothing and the Playhouse shop's creations. Geno Carr, who plays Hook's servant, Smee, will be drawing laughs from audiences while outfitted in somewhat less slick clothing than that of his captain.
“Smee's a hodge-podge of different pieces and color patterns, he's a little more like a court jester,” Carr said.
Arranging the costumes of Pan's cast was a drastic change of pace from the Playhouse's previous show, “Miss Saigon.”
“We went from street clothes in the '70s to children's theater, so we really had to switch gears,” said Simcox, who came to Auburn from North Carolina for her seventh season of costume work with the Merry-Go-Round.
Van Treuren feels the efforts of Simcox and the costume shop will aid the cast in engaging the audience, which will consist of both children new to the tale and parents familiar with any number of its incarnations.
“It's not just a play for children, it's for the child in us all,” he said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
To immerse audiences in the illusion of Neverland, the Playhouse's costume shop has spent countless hours designing and crafting the dress of Peter Pan and Captain Hook.
Guest costume designer Laura Simcox wanted to add depth to Peter's trademark green garments. Rather than outfitting actress Amy Griffin with solid forest-colored fabrics, Simcox layered a transparent green cloth with a lattice pattern over another one with its own detailed design.
“There's that idea that Peter is magic and lives in the forest, so there's a hint of light and shadow,” Simcox said. “There's a different and interesting view every time Peter turns.”
The bold green shades of the costume will contrast sharply with the fiery orange hair of Griffin, who has previously graced stages as Pan. But she has not done so in duds quite as sharp as those created by the Playhouse shop.
“It's the most magical-looking of anything I've worn,” Griffin said. “It's like nothing an Earthling would wear, this has a real sparkle to it.”
Designing a costume for Pan also presented Simcox with the problem of meeting people's expectations. People who have seen “Peter Pan” - on stage, in animation or live action film - carry a certain idea of how the boy who never grew up must look.
“At this point it'd be weird if Peter wasn't played by a woman, but the audience wants the costume to make her look like a boy,” Simcox said.
Simcox estimates the shop spent more than 40 hours completing the Peter Pan costume. Although that figure may seem large, it is dwarfed by the 100 hours logged on Captain Hook's pirate garb. Obtaining the boots alone was the object of some trouble for Simcox.
“They were on backorder,” she said. “Everyone wants to be Jack Sparrow.”
The black leather stompers - which stretch almost two feet in length - were one of the only components of Hook's costume with which actor James Van Treuren could acquaint himself during rehearsals.
“I can't wait to see everyone in costume, we're going to be having so much fun looking at each other in costume it'll be tough to get to work,” he said.
The pointy extremity for which Hook is named was pieced together from parts collected at Lowe's. The hook itself was fashioned from one used to hang a bicycle. When Van Treuren saw the detailed drawing for his flowing red robe, patterned purple vest and pants with shiny violet stripes, he was, for lack of a better term, hooked.
“I fell in love with it; she's obviously a really talented designer who did her homework,” he said.
The hook is one of several examples of objects and costume components that Simcox sought to design herself for the Playhouse production, rather than find at rental shops.
“There's the Disney 'Pan' and the Cathy Rigby versions, but we didn't want to do either,” Simcox said.
Peter's Lost Boys, the Indians and the pirates on Hook's ship will be wearing a mix of rented clothing and the Playhouse shop's creations. Geno Carr, who plays Hook's servant, Smee, will be drawing laughs from audiences while outfitted in somewhat less slick clothing than that of his captain.
“Smee's a hodge-podge of different pieces and color patterns, he's a little more like a court jester,” Carr said.
Arranging the costumes of Pan's cast was a drastic change of pace from the Playhouse's previous show, “Miss Saigon.”
“We went from street clothes in the '70s to children's theater, so we really had to switch gears,” said Simcox, who came to Auburn from North Carolina for her seventh season of costume work with the Merry-Go-Round.
Van Treuren feels the efforts of Simcox and the costume shop will aid the cast in engaging the audience, which will consist of both children new to the tale and parents familiar with any number of its incarnations.
“It's not just a play for children, it's for the child in us all,” he said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
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