Since 2021, the native theater troupe Panto within the Presidio has made it a vacation custom to take beloved characters—Aladdin as soon as, Sleeping Magnificence twice—and drop them into wacky exhibits set in modern-day San Francisco.
Panto within the Presidio Productions founder and government producer Peggy Haas is happy with the group’s rising fame for placing on more and more outlandish exhibits.
“I always try to top myself each year, because the Bay Area deserves it! The more joy, laughter, and escape I can give people, the better,” says Haas.
She doesn’t plan to tone issues down with “Peter Pan,” which runs Dec. 3-29 on the Presidio Theatre. Directed by Liam Vincent, it contains the famed characters from J.M. Barrie’s story in addition to Panto’s Pecker the Singing Rooster and Dame, the narrator, and extra. All shall be transplanted to the weird, magical world of The Metropolis by the Bay.
It’s the identical premise as “Beach Blanket Babylon,” the beloved revue that ran for many years in North Seaside by which Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” traversed San Francisco streets with wide-eyed surprise.
Panto’s connection to “BBB” isn’t unintentional. Haas was a fan of the present, and several other alumni now work with Panto.
“BBB alumni were a perfect fit, and they enjoy playing with each other again,” Haas says, including, “Our music director Bill Keck is also a ‘BBB’ alum. Add to that, Rotimi and the most talented Bay Area actors from the younger generation, you can’t help but have a good time.”
Rotimi Agbabiaka, who’s been a go-to forged member for Panto’s annual Christmas manufacturing, informed Haas, “Let me clear my schedule, and I’d better be playing the villain,” upon studying a few new present this 12 months.
Agbabiaka, who performed Aladdin in Panto’s “Magic Lamp” and the Evil Queen in “Sleeping Beauty,” will as soon as once more don an Alina Bokovikova costume in a portrayal of Captain Hook.
The brazenly queer actor enjoys bringing a layer of subtext to the literary mainstay, saying, “He certainly is a flamboyant man with his fabulous wardrobe, beyond-elaborate wig, and penchant for catty wordplay. I get the feeling that his primary identity is ‘vengeful pirate’ and that he prefers to let others speculate about whether or not he is queer.”
Agbabiaka is grateful for the chance to share such a portrayal with an open-minded viewers of all ages: “It’s always important for children to see characters who stimulate their imagination and their capacity to understand and empathize with all sorts of humans. Thankfully, I’m not aware of any parental backlash with past shows,” he says.
In the meantime, firm playwrights Richard Ciccarone and Stephanie Brown are those retaining the wild proceedings on some kind of monitor. Excited to work with Haas yearly, they admit they’re typically at a loss about learn how to put her concepts on paper.
Noting that they’re given a well-known story with characters, plot factors and different parts they need to honor, Brown says their job with the script is to seek out artistic methods to work in everyone’s concepts along with the humor whereas making the present related for the occasions and the Bay Space.
“As writers, the thrilling part is hearing and seeing the pages come to life in rehearsals and onstage, and we absolutely flex our script to accommodate special talents and suggestions during the rehearsal process. For us, the best and funniest idea always wins. What the audience sees once the show opens is a reflection of that,” she says.
L-R, Chanel Tilghman is Tinkerbell, Corey Bryant is Peter Pan and Abigail Esfira Campbell is Wendy in “Peter Pan” on the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco. (Courtesy Terry Lorant)
Agreeing, Ciccarone mentions that regardless of the outlandish nature of the variation, the present will comprise Barrie’s themes, together with the arc of Wendy, the story’s true lead, in distinction to Peter Pan, who gained’t develop up.
“We had a lot of discussions about Wendy’s role and how to make it more accessible to modern audiences,” Ciccarone says. “A big part of that was finding the universal ideals that comprise Wendy’s character, such as independence, strength and intelligence which are a vital part of the story.”
Leaning into the attract of setting “Peter Pan” in San Francisco, Ciccarone says, “There are surprisingly a lot of parallels between Mayor [Art] Agnos’ role in the redevelopment of South of Market and Wendy’s journey of discovery.”
Brown provides, “One thing we can say is that we think everyone will agree that of all the cities in the world, San Francisco truly is the closest thing to Neverland that exists!”
Whereas busy making ready for closing tech, Haas explains why Panto’s exhibits are produced throughout Christmas. She says, “This is my gift to the city, where people of all ages can come and escape, have fun, and be silly for two hours. It’s something we all need.”
Panto within the Presidio’s “Peter Pan” runs Dec. 3-29 on the Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Ave., Presidio of San Francisco. Tickets are $17-$68 at presidiotheatre.org.
Charles Lewis III is a San Francisco-born journalist and performing artist. He has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, the San Francisco Examiner, and extra. Dodgy proof of this may be discovered at The Considering Man’s Fool.wordpress.com.
