By Joanne Engelhardt
American playwright Sarah Ruhl’s plays are frequently fascinating and often almost psychological studies of families. Many of her plays have appeared on Broadway, and two were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. She received a Tony Award for Best Play for In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play). She’s also an acclaimed professor, poet, and essayist.
In other words, she’s the real deal.
Yet the Ruhl play now running at The Pear Theatre in Mountain View, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday, has not reached those levels of acclaim. (Well, to be fair — a person has a shot at the MLB Hall of Fame by only hitting the ball four times in ten!) Anyway, the play is partially autobiographical, having molded the main character, Peter Pan, after her mother, who once played Peter Pan when she was a young girl.
… (the play) has its own charm and offers…a ..reminder … growing old doesn’t necessarily mean growing up …
Moving on. In this reviewer’s opinion, director Austin Edginton made an … interesting … choice in casting Monica Cappuccini as Ann, who is turning 70 but is spending that day with her siblings in a hospital room where her father lies dying. Make no mistake: Cappuccini is a fine actress, and she’s got just the right combination of spunk, caring, and droll humor to carry off wearing a Peter Pan costume and giving a charming speech directly to the audience before the curtain opens.
But — Ms. Cappuccini is British, and her accent is unmistakably British. So how does she manage to have four siblings, none of whom are or speak the Queen’s language? Non-traditional casting, perhaps?
There’s also a bit of exciting casting in this situation as well: white-haired Ray Renati plays the father of Ann as well as of her sister Wendy (a credible Tannis Hanson) and three sons: Jim (John Mannion), John (Bill Davidovich) and Michael (Ronald Feichtmeir). Yet Mannion and Davidovich look about the same age as Renati – who’s supposed to be their father! Mannion even mentions being the third child, which seems odd. Que sera sera!
Casting aside, Pear’s production is an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes. The sword-fighting scenes are fun to watch (thanks to fight choreographer Dexter Fidler), and Greet Jaspaert’s Peter Pan costume for Cappuccini is charming, as is the Captain Hook costume worn by Mannion late in the play.
Once the large green curtain opens, the setting is a hospital room where Renati (as the father) lies hooked up to tubes and machines, apparently ready to take his last breath at any moment.
All five “children” are at his bedside, torn between hoping he will improve and wondering which breath will be his last. There’s talk about sending someone out to pick up Chinese food to bring back to Dad’s hospital room because they have been there for many hours. But then Dad finally kicks the bucket, and the action moves to a dining room where the siblings talk about politics and reminisce about their childhood. But good old dad is wandering around the room, although they can’t see him!
One child mentions the hereafter and wonders whether Dad is there now. Then Davidovich says, “Dad if you’re here with us, give us a sign.” With a twinkle in his eye, Dad decides to drop a plate of nibbles he’s eating. That generates the biggest laugh in the play.
Then, one of the other kids drags out an old trunk where Ann finds — her long-ago Peter Pan costume.
All the grown-up children put on costumes from the play and begin jumping around saying “I’m flying” and “Cock-a-doodle-doo…” There are even a couple of brief appearances by Tinkerbell! After that bit of fantasy, they all leave the family home and return to their spouses and children.
Although your experience might vary, this reporter did not find For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday as focused as other Ruhl plays. Yet — it has its own charm and offers audience members a soothing reminder: growing old doesn’t necessarily mean growing up.
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Aisle Seat Executive Reviewer Joanne Engelhardt is a Peninsula theatre writer and critic. She is a voting member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC). Contact: [email protected]
| Production | For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday |
|---|---|
| Written by | Sarah Ruhl |
| Directed by | Austin Edgington |
| Producing Company | The Pear Theater |
| Production Dates | Thru Mar 3rd |
| Production Address | 1110 La Avenida, Suite A, Mountain View |
| Website | www.thepear.org |
| Telephone | (650) 254 - 1148 |
| Tickets | $38-$40 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 3.5/5.00 |
| Performance | 3.25/5.00 |
| Script | 3.5/5.00 |
| Stagecraft | 3.75/5.00 |
| Aisle Seat Review PICK! | ---- |