Play melds 'Pan' with 'Life'

"For people who are familiar with 'It's a Wonderful Life' and love 'Peter Pan,' this is the perfect play for them to see because it's pretty much a parody of it." said Carmen Smith, director of "It's a Wonderful Neverland," showing Saturdays through Feb. 11 at the Magic Theatre in Yuba City.

"This is a take on 'It's a Wonderful Life.' We follow Peter Pan (Joshua Keiser) as he journeys through Neverland with Stinkerbell (Andrew Hayes) — yes, we have Tinkerbell (Lily Eichner), too, but Stinkerbell is the main fairy in this play. He shows Peter Pan what Neverland would be like if he had never come to Neverland," Smith said.

"So everything's askew. All the characters are not who you would expect them to be. Peter Pan eventually comes back and everything is back to normal, but it's a pretty hilarious romp through Neverland," she added.

"It's going to be really enjoyable for children and for adults," Smith said. "Everyone will find joy in watching it."

Smith said the Magic Theatre program at The Acting Company is growing. "We have Saturday classes — each month is a different topic — and kids can come in and take those classes. And the kids who've been attending those classes are gaining so many skills," she said.

"So we were really overwhelmed at auditions because there were so many wonderful students that we were only able to cast two-thirds of them in the play — and it is a cast of about 20 kids. So you can imagine how many kids we had show up to audition. It was pretty awesome to see," Smith said.

The cast includes Cydnee Brown, Petra H. Caldwell-Nabi, Conor Cochran, Dylan Cochran, Kristina Cochran, Madison Cofer, Molly Enderton, Noah Enderton, Aiden Fox Hayes, Michael Hafferty, Joanna Jarvis, Joey Lafnear, Kortni Lafnear, Amelia Marchetti, Emily Trnka and Emma Wolfgram.

"The kids that we cast are absolutely fabulous. They're so talented, they surprise me at every rehearsal just with the skill that they have and the timing. It's a very comedic play, and they are just nailing it," Smith said.

"I encourage people to come see the play because of the cast. These children have put so many hours into learning their lines and perfecting their parts. They are absolutely amazing, and I think this show rivals any of the main stage productions we've done here at The Acting Company. It's that good," she said.

The show is great for all ages, from very young children all the way up to adults.

CONTACT Susan Benitez at sbenitez@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4773. Find her on Facebook at /ADFeatures or on Twitter at @adfeatures.