By Cynthia Hinson
'Peter Pan' the musical will soar - literally - into the Orem SCERA showhouse, Feb. 27.
The SCERA''s version of 'Peter Pan' uses the script from the 1954 Broadway version starring Mary Martin as well as contemporary selections from the Cathy Rigby version.
Husband and wife directors Robert and Laurel Barham also add their own unique and comical touches to the show.
'We tried to put together a show that appealed to all ages,' Barham said. 'For the little kids it would be the magic, for older kids it would be something cool with the really neat dances and special effects we have. And for the adults we just want it to be a fun show that will hearken them back to their childhood.'
Some of the special effects include the children flying, which will be done by ZFX, a professional flying company from Las Vegas, and the computer-generated fairy, Tinkerbell.
'Don''t be surprised if you get some pixie dust on you,' Barham warned.
It will be a show that everybody will enjoy, Barham said.
'It would be great for dates and family home evening groups, where people can be a kid again for the night,' Barham said. 'Were going to have things going on before the show that will get the audience involved in the show and it will just be an all around fun time.'
Robert, a software developer, and Laurel, a youth theater teacher and mother of one, both have a tremendous amount of experience in theater.
Eric Glissmeyer, the infamous Captain Hook, has enjoyed working with the Barhams.
'I''ve never worked with a husband and wife team directing the same show,' Glissmeyer said. 'It''s been kind of fun. They''ll take turns directing scenes and they''ll also put their own input into scenes the other one has already directed.'
Glissmeyer, an alumnus of BYU, has a master''s in music and vocal performance and is a veteran performer of the Utah Opera. Glissmeyer currently works for KBYU-FM as the music director and Sunday morning announcer.
Glissmeyer, who despite his daughter''s wishes, plays both Captain Hook and Mr. Darling.
'She would have liked me to be Peter, but she thinks it''s cool that I''m Captain Hook,' Glissmeyer said. 'It''s kind of traditional to have Mr. Darling then be Captain Hook because he kind of behaves like Captain Hook at home and it''s fun to play both parts because they''re similar, yet different.'
The cast of Peter Pan is enormous. The Barhams cast children and adolescents into the parts of the lost boys and Indians to add authenticity.
'It''s a big cast with a lot of young people, which has really been fun,' Glissmeyer said.
Megan Francis, 10, plays one of the many little Indians.
'I came to the audition because my sister was trying-out and my dad told me to tryout too and I got it,' Francis said.
Francis wants to be just like her older sister, she said, who also plays an Indian.
With such a big cast, it''s easy to get lost in the masses, unless of course you are Peter Pan.
Fred Lee, a part-time student at UVSC from Orem, majoring in secondary education, stars in this musical as Peter Pan.
'In most versions of Peter Pan, a female plays Peter, when I heard that the Barhams were considering a male for the role, I decided to tryout,' Lee said.
Lee has been interested in theater since he can remember and has been in a multitude of plays around the Provo/Orem area. He plans to make theater his career by being a drama teacher, Lee said.
'If there is one piece of advice I could give that I took from this production it would be, keep your dreams open,' Lee said.
Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. daily except Wednesdays and Sundays in SCERA showhouse II. Tickets, which are $9 for adults and $4 for children, are available 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays at the theater box office located at 745 S. State Street in Orem or by calling 225-ARTS.