'Peter Pan' takes flight at Circa '21
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ROCK ISLAND — One of musical theatre’s most exhilarating shows is about to land at the Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse, as the venue prepares for the arrival of "Peter Pan," the Tony Award-winning musical based on characters created by the legendary J.M. Barrie.
Running June 17 through Aug. 29, this magnificent family adventure will be making its Circa ‘21 debut with its summertime production, and visitors to the Rock Island dinner theatre should prepare for extraordinary sets and costumes, a marvelous professional cast, and wondrous flying effects courtesy of the internationally renowned ZFX company — forming a once-in-a-lifetime stage experience that you and your family will never forget.
"Peter Pan" will be performed at Circa ‘21 on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:45 p.m., Sundays at 5:45 p.m. and selected Wednesday matinees at 1:30 p.m. Ticket prices for dinner and show are $44.50 for the Friday through Sunday evenings shows, $42.00 for the Wednesday and Thursday evening shows, and $39.00 for the matinee performances. The theatre does offer reduced prices for those over 60 and students 18 and under.
Tickets are available through the Circa ‘21 box office. For reservations, contact the theatre at 1828 Third Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201 or call (309) 786-7733, ext. 2. Tickets may also be purchased by going to the theatre's Web site at www.circa21.com and clicking on “order tickets now”.
In its telling of J.M. Barrie’s classic story — featuring the three Darling children and a boy who refuses to grow up — Circa ‘21’s Peter Pan will whisk audiences away to an enchanted land of fairies and pirates, Neverland and the Jolly Roger, Lost Boys and crocodiles, and all the magical elements that have made the show a beloved storybook fantasy for generations of theatre goers. And Circa ‘21’s production will be made even more magical with the thrilling effects by the world’s greatest theatrical flying company, ZFX, whose Broadway and touring credits include Wicked, Fiddler on the Roof, Seussical, and Spider-Man Live!.
Serving as Peter Pan’s director is longtime Circa ‘21 veteran Jim Hesselman. The show marks his 15th production in as many years – whose list of credits at the venue includes helming the recent hit Smoke on the Mountain, and directing and co-writing productions of Sing Hallelujah! and Peace in the Valley. And helping to bring the show to stage life is a sensational cast of professional talents, featuring both beloved veterans and performers making their first appearances on the Circa ‘21 stage. Making a return after 26 years to musically direct this blockbuster is New Yorker Joel Gelpe, who last worked on Circa ‘21’s 1983 production of Brigadoon.
Portraying Peter Pan him(her)self is Nashville-based actress Brittany Church, who marks her Circa ‘21 debut with this production, and whose list of credits includes roles in the musicals Ragtime, The Secret Garden and Oliver!. Joining Church, in the roles of the Darling children, are three area youths with considerable stage experience themselves: Michael is being played by Davenport resident Tanner Konrardy, a veteran of the Countryside Community Theatre’s Children of Eden; John will be portrayed by Bettendorf resident Zach Finn, whose credits include Quad City Music Guild presentations of Miracle on 34th Street and Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; and Wendy is being played by Moline resident Lauren Van Speybroeck, also seen in Circa ‘21’s A Wonderful Life, Charlotte’s Web and A Christmas Carol.
Numerous other Circa ‘21 veterans will also make appearances in Peter Pan, led by audience favorite Tom Walljasper in the role of the evil Captain Hook. Among Walljasper’s most recent credits are roles in the theatre’s last three mainstage productions: Church Basement Ladies, Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical and A Wonderful Life. The theatre’s other returning cast members include: Andrea Moore, seen in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Cats, and Grease; George Schulz, from A Christmas Carol, Don’t Dress for Dinner, and Jack and the Beanstalk; Tristan Layne Tapscott, who performed in Are We There Yet?, A Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol; Brad Hauskins, of The Full Monty, Empty Nest, and Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver; Isaac Jankowski, from the theatre’s 2007 production of Oklahoma!; and Matthew McFate, a 7th-grader at Bettendorf Middle School who also performed in last fall’s production of The Full Monty; and Autumn Loose who performed in A Christmas Carol.
Among the cast members making their Circa ‘21 debuts are: Kelly Anna Lohrenz, whose credits include roles in Steel Magnolias, The Rocky Horror Show, and You Can’t Take It With You; Steven Quartell, from local productions of La Llorona, Songs for a New World, and Angels in America; Adam Galarza, of All Shook Up, A Chorus Line, and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins; Ryan VanHoosier, from Happily Never After and Lady Pirates of the Caribbean; Sean Leeds, who appeared in The Sound of Music, High School Musical, and Evita; Currie Terrell, a veteran of The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, and Honk!; Peyton Tucker, from local performances of The Will Rogers Follies, The Children’s Hour, and The King & I; George Ray Bawden, who sang in the First Presbyterian Church of Davenport’s presentation of Bye Bye Birdie; Jeremy P. Plyburn, from Little Shop of Horrors, George M!, and The Glass Menagerie; Andrew Benson, of Sweeney Todd, Inherit the Wind, and Pippin; and Nathan Chang, who has been seen in Godspell, Beauty and the Beast, and Sugar.
