Peter Pan in Nagpur

With five shows spread over three days and involving a cast of 28, mostly youngsters on the stage for the first time, Peter Pan, The Musical was no easy play to put up. But Nagpur’s theater guru Vikash Khurana wove a magic spell with his direction and presentation, molding convincing characters out of raw clay. The fairy tale, beautifully interwoven with song and dance, ran to packed houses on January 29 and 30, 2011 with two shows a day. Earlier, there was a special afternoon matinee for school children on January 28.

A scene from Peter Pan, The Musical

Slim, boyish Arman Bhagwagar as Peter Pan suited the title role to perfection. From his tender concern for Wendy to his sword fight with the dreaded pirate Captain Hook, to dancing with the Darling children, Bhagwagar remained confident, as if to the stage born. Ankita Athawale made a charming Wendy, mother to the Lost Children. Her limpid brown eyes and graceful dancing were a treat for the senses. Veteran actor Supantha Bhattacharya, known for his versatility and acting prowess, played the wicked Captain Hook with élan. Senior actors Khurshid Dalal and N. V. Sharma were Mr and Mrs Darling, while Zenia Rana was one of the Lost Children.

Arman Bhagwagar (l) as Peter Pan with Ankita Athawale as Wendy

The flying sequences involving Peter Pan, Wendy and others were successfully engineered by Amol Khate and had children in the audience squealing with delight. As Khurana put it, "Peter Pan is a story where dreams are born and time is never planned. And if you believe in fairies and think of happy things, your heart too will fly on wings to Never Never Land.”

Dilnavaz E. Bhagwagar