Take a Flight With Tosa West's 'Peter Pan'

When the curtain rises tonight on the stage at , theater lovers will feast on all the rich sights, sounds and flights of fancy that surround the wonderful tale of Peter Pan.

A musical for all ages, the Trojan Players have wrapped themselves into the moment of the beloved story that touches the kid in us all, sparking imaginations, pulling on dreams and highlighting our fear of growing old.

“We are thrilled to present this very complex production to the community,” said Tim Catlett, Wauwatosa West Theater Director. “The audience will gasp one minute as Peter takes flight and laugh the next with the antics of some of the characters.”

Catlett also said his cast has learned a lot over the course of the last eight weeks of rehearsal but the most important lesson was this: “There exists in each of us a child who is timeless and special and we invite the community to come and experience this magic with us.

Those who expect to see Peter, Wendy, Michael and John flying high will not be disappointed. Catlett contracted with one of the most renowned stage flight companies in the world – XFX Flying Effects – for the flight rig rental and flight choreography. Each cast member charged with flying during the production had to first undergo on-the-ground “flight training” before they could go up, up and away above the stage. West senior Valerie Vogel, appearing in her first musical on stage at West in her last year at the school, plays the leading role of Peter Pan and spends the most time in the air.

“The most challenging thing was using muscles I was not used to using in order to maintain control in the air,” Vogel said after a recent dress rehearsal. “But the more I did it, the easier it got and it’s really quite exhilarating.  It’s an amazing show filled with great music and effects and it’s something people will remember – we hope to see a lot of people there, of all ages.”

While flight tech crew members are behind the scenes “flying” the cast members via an elaborate pulley system, most of the heavy lifting actually lies with the cast member to use their core muscles and swing their body, arms and legs to create the look and feel of a person in flight.

West sophomore Lydia Berggruen, cast as Wendy, said she loves that she gets to go airborne. “It actually feels like you are flying,” she said. “This is really a once in a lifetime experience to be able to do this, but the whole cast is beyond talented. I think the audience will be in awe.”

Senior Brian Condon plays the older brother John in the musical and simply stated his argument to encourage attendance to the show:  “Come on - when was the last time you got to see people fly?”

Peter Pan in all its opulence and song opens tonight at 7 p.m. at Wauwatosa West High School, 11400 W. Center St. The box office opens 30 minutes prior to the show for at door sales. All seats are reserved. 

Tickets can be purchased online up through the night before each show at seatyourself.biz/trojanplayers.

Peter Pan also will be presented tomorrow night, Saturday, April 28, at 7 p.m. and at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29. The show closes the following weekend with two performances at 7 p.m. May 4 and May 5.

Tickets are $15 for adults; $12.50 for seniors; $10 for students and $5 for children 5 years and younger. 

For more information, visit the Trojan Players Facebook event page here.