Since 2021, local theater company Panto in the Presidio has made it a holiday tradition to cast beloved characters (once Aladdin, twice Sleeping Beauty) in whimsical shows set in modern-day San Francisco .
Presidio Productions’ Panto Peggy Haas, founder and executive producer of Presidio Productions, is proud of the group’s growing reputation for putting on increasingly outlandish shows.
“I always try to outdo myself every year because the Bay Area deserves it. The more joy, laughter, and escape I can give people, the better,” Haas said. Masu.
She has no plans to slow down “Peter Pan,” which runs at the Presidio Theater from Dec. 3 to 29. Directed by Liam Vincent, the film features famous characters from J.M. Barrie’s stories, as well as Panto’s singing chicken Pecker and narrator Dame. Everything is transplanted to the strange and magical world of City by the Bay.
It’s the same premise as the popular revue “Beach Blanket Babylon,” which played in North Beach for decades and featured Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” walking across the street in San Francisco wide-eyed and amazed.
The connection between panto and “BBB” is no coincidence. Haas is a fan of the show and several alumni are currently working with Panto.
“The BBB alumni were a great fit; they are enjoying playing together again,” Haas said, adding, “Our musical director, Bill Keck, is also a BBB alum. , Rotimi and some of the younger generation’s most talented Bay Area actors can’t help but have a good time.”
When Rotimi Agbiaka, a leading cast member of the annual Christmas production of Panto, learned about this year’s new show, she told Haas: “Please let me clear my schedule. I’d rather play the villain.”
Agbiaka, who played Aladdin in Panto’s The Magic Lamp and the Evil Queen in Sleeping Beauty, will once again don the costumes of Alina Bokovikova as Captain Hook.
The openly gay actor enjoys bringing support to the literary mainstream, saying: I get the feeling that his primary identity is a “vengeful pirate” and that he likes to keep others guessing about whether he is queer or not. ”
Agbiaka is grateful for the opportunity to share these depictions with open-minded audiences of all ages. “It’s always important for children to see characters that stimulate their imagination and their ability to understand and empathize with all kinds of people. Thankfully, I’m not aware of any parental backlash against the show in the past. “No,” he says.
Meanwhile, company playwrights Richard Ciccarone and Stephanie Brown keep this wild progression on track. Excited to work with Haas each year, they admit that they are sometimes confused about how to put her ideas to paper.
Noting that they’re given a familiar story with characters, plot points, and other respectable elements, Brown said their job with the script was to keep the show relevant to the times while also adding humor. He said it’s about finding creative ways to incorporate everyone’s ideas. And the Bay Area.
“As writers, the thrilling part is hearing and seeing the page come to life in rehearsal and on stage, and we absolutely refine the script to accommodate any special talent or suggestions during the rehearsal process. We’re flexible and change. For us, the best and most interesting ideas always win, and what the audience sees when the show starts is a reflection of that,” she says.
In agreement with this, Ciccarone said that despite the outlandish nature of this film adaptation, Barry’s themes, including the arc of Wendy, the true protagonist of the story, as opposed to Peter Pan, who does not grow up, will remain in the show. It was said that it is included in
“We had a lot of discussions about the role of Wendy and how to make it more relatable to modern audiences,” says Ciccarone. “A big part of that was finding the universal ideals that make up Wendy’s character, such as independence, strength, and intelligence, which are important parts of the story.”
Basking in the charm of setting “Peter Pan” in San Francisco, Ciccarone said, “There are surprisingly many connections between Mayor (Art) Agnos’ role in redeveloping the South of Market and Wendy’s journey of discovery. “There are similarities,” he says.
Brown added, “One thing I think we can all agree on is that of all the cities in the world, San Francisco is truly the closest to Neverland!”
While busy with final technical preparations, Haas explains why panto shows are produced at Christmas. she says: “This is my gift to the city where people of all ages can come and escape and have fun and be silly for two hours. That’s something we all need.”
The Presidio’s “Peter Pan” panto runs from Dec. 3 to 29 at the Presidio Theater, 99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco’s Presidio. Tickets are $17 to $68 at presidiotheatre.org.
Charles Lewis III is a San Francisco-born journalist and performing artist. He has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, the San Francisco Examiner, and others. This dangerous evidence can be found at The Thinking Man’s Idiot.wordpress.com.
