With pixie dust, it’s off to Neverland
<runtime:topic id=”PLGEO100100103000000”>COSTA MESA</runtime:topic> — Passersby got a glimpse of Neverland on Wednesday, when crews raised a massive tent to prepare for the upcoming production of “Peter Pan” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC).
OCPAC and threesixty¿¿ entertainment plan to stage a state-of-the-art production featuring live actors and computer-generated actors in an on-site pavilion Sept. 28 to Nov. 21.
The tent, which stands 100 feet high, was shipped by sea from London to <runtime:topic id=”PLGEO100101101011132”>San Francisco</runtime:topic> ¿¿¿ a 6,000-mile jaunt.
The 1,300-seat theater-tent allows for in-the-round performances adjacent to the center’s Ren¿¿e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
The production of J.M. Barrie’s famed children’s fairytale received positive reviews in the Wall Street Journal and San Francisco Chronicle, and features 22 actors, puppets, music, flying sequences and what is billed as the world’s first 360-degree, computer-generated imagery (CGI) theater set.
The tent’s interior will be lighted with more than 15,000-square-feet of hi-resolution video, which organizers say is three times the size of an <runtime:topic id=”PLENT000184”>IMAX</runtime:topic> movie screen, making it possible for the cast and audience to be “immersed in a CGI Neverland,” according to a news release.
The production will feature 12 projectors, delivering 360-degree projection; 10 million pixels; 400 square miles of virtual London; and the largest surround CGI venue in the world.
It took 200 computers four weeks to create the images ¿¿¿ which would have taken eight years for a single computer to render.
“We’re delighted to welcome threesixty¿¿ entertainment’s amazing production of ‘Peter Pan’ to <runtime:topic id=”PLGEO100100103080000”>Orange</runtime:topic> County for its Southern California premiere,” Terry Dwyer, OCPAC president, said in a prepared statement. “It is truly a magical concept that combines this beloved story with the most advanced theatrical technology. You’ll feel you’ve left the center and traveled to London and Neverland and back. This is a very special family show, and we look forward to welcoming children and adults alike for what very well may be an experience and memory of a lifetime.”
The cast features members of the original London production and American actors. Among the original London cast members are Nate Fallows as Peter Pan, Abby Ford as Wendy Darling, Itxaso Moreno as Tinker Bell and Jonathan Hyde as Capt. Hook/Mr. Darling.
“This engagement will be the only stop in <runtime:topic id=”PLGEO100100102380000”>Los Angeles</runtime:topic> and Orange County as part of our U.S tour, and we are excited to bring this production to one of the great performing arts centers in the United States,” said Robert Butters, threesixty¿¿ producer.
Tickets range from $30 to $75. Premium ticket packages are also available, and include admission to the performance, a drink voucher, souvenir brochure, audio book and memorabilia.
Behind-the-scenes tours, which are dubbed “Into Neverland,” will be available weekly throughout the run.
For more information, visit https://www.peterpantheshow.com.