Peter Pan's National Tour is Flying High With a Version That Anyone Can See Themselves In

When Nolan Almeida was in fourth grade or so, he starred in a production of Peter Pan Jr., playing Michael. “That was the most excited I’ve ever been about a show,” he told The Broadway Show. “I’ve always loved Peter Pan.” For the flying scenes, Almeida explained, “all the dads dressed up in black costumes—oh my god—and they put us on their shoulders…”

Almeida is currently playing the title role in the national tour of Peter Pan, a new adaptation of the musical based on the play by J.M. Barrie. The flying scenes are a little more persuasive this time around. “It’s the most fun thing ever,” Almeida said.

A boy playing the title role—played by Mary Martin in 1954 and by a series of legendary actresses both before and since—isn’t the only way this new Peter Pan departs from the norm. The script has been adapted by Native American playwright Larissa Fasthorse with cultural sensitivity in mind. Instead of the “Indians” that featured in Barrie’s play, there is instead a group of diverse representatives of a variety of indigenous cultures; Tiger Lily is one of them.

Raye Zaragoza, who plays Tiger Lily, is of mixed Indigenous, Asian and Latina descent. “It’s a huge and exciting opportunity but also a big responsibility,” she said. “I want to do right by Larissa Fasthorse and right by Tiger Lily—and portray her in a way that will make young native kids in the audience feel seen.”

Hawa Kamara is also pleased to be bringing something different to the character of Wendy. “When I got into that audition room and they were like, ‘Girl, go sing for Wendy,’ I was like, OK!” she said. “Someone that I knew from college reached out to me and they were like, 'I’m so grateful and so happy that you’re doing this, because I always wanted to play Wendy. I always wanted to see Wendy as someone who wasn’t a little white girl.’” In this version, Wendy also aspires to be a doctor—not just a mother. “There’s more to her.”

Ultimately, the hope is that "Anyone can see anybody in the production and see themselves in that role," said Kamara. And as Zaragoza points out, there’ll be plenty of first-time theatergoers seeing the show—it may just be “the reason they want to pursue a career in theater,” she said. “That’s really exciting.”