So in case you didn't know, last Thursday, NBC broadcast Peter Pan Live! This is after the "success" of The Sound of Music Live! last year. Unfortunately, this live musical tv broadcast had the same problem as its predecessor. The lead was cast incorrectly. While, Allison Williams is a better actress than Carrie underwood she had the same problem. Her acting only came through when she began to sing. There was no magic in her speech, but it started to shine through when the music started. Also, she was too masculine for my taste which defeats the purpose of a girl playing the role. It's supposed to be a little boy but the voice was too deep. One thing that I will address that I saw in another review article is the flying was terrible. Not only was it poorly done, but in this age it's not cool or magical anymore. When Mary Martin did it, it was amazing because it was rare, but it's been seen nowadays and without Cathy Rigbys gymnastic tricks in the air, the magic simply isn't there. The last problem is that the sets and the supporting cast outweigh the point of the show: Peter Pan. While I do have criticisms of the show because I'm an unofficial theater critic. There are gaps, plot wise and song wise that were filled in. This production had a new script and some new or changed songs. This resulted in a lot more cohesion. There was a song that showed us more of the family conflict peter had. Also Wendy was given an extra song which was in the lagoon sequence which I always thought needed a song and I always thought Wendy needed more to sing. They also connect the mother to the neverland story through a lullaby and show the lullaby's origin. It was definitely better than last year, but the key to all of it is having a broadway star or at least a Hollywood triple threat to play the lead. If that is done, with a good musical, then the live musical broadcasts will continue for generations to come.
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