Neptune Theatre’s holiday offering is a brand new panto, written and directed by Artistic Director Jeremy Webb, adapted from J.M. Barrie’s classic story of Peter Pan. I sat down with Kelly Holiff (Captain Hook), Becca Guilderson (Tink), and Avery Jean Brennan (Fudge) on Tuesday at the theatre to chat about how this version of Peter Pan is empowering for women, and how the story (originally written in 1904) continues to resonate today.
Holiff is from Richmond Hill, Ontario and is making her Neptune debut. Guilderson is based in Halifax and played Deetah last year in Cinderella, and Brennan is from Halifax and she made her Neptune debut as a child in the ensemble of Oliver in 2006. “Oliver was that pivotal moment where it was like, ‘Oh, you can do this for a living,’” says Brennan, who began taking classes at Neptune Theatre School at thirteen, “From then on, there was nothing else. I was going to be a performer.” From a young age Guilderson was interested in the way her favourite Disney movies were made, “I was a big Disney nerd as a child,” she says, “so I loved to do a lot of research, and to find out all about how they made the films, and one of my favourite things that I used to love about Tinkerbell in particular and Peter Pan was that when they were doing the original animation, they actually hired a real woman to come in and model for Tinkerbell with giant props so they could do her justice as a real character, and [to make her] life sized in her own way. I always found that to be so amazing… I like Tinkerbell because she is girly and sweet and feminine, but she also tells people when she’s had enough. To be honest, she’s probably one of my favourite examples of a female character in Disney who actually speaks her mind.”
Holiff is really excited to have the opportunity to reimagine the iconic role of Captain Hook in a new way. “So many people, especially in Toronto, when I heard that I got the part were like, ‘Oh, that’s such an interesting take..’ and it is… but also… is it? Why shouldn’t Hook be a woman? It’s a fictional character, and even if it wasn’t… if we are doing our job right you are going to believe what is in front of you; at least I hope that is the case. The next question people would ask is, ‘So, you’re playing Hook as a man,’ and I was like, ‘NO. That would defeat all of it. No, No, No, No, No. She is a WOMAN.’ I have to give that credit to Jeremy [Webb], because he didn’t even bat an eye. I auditioned, and he was like, ‘You’re Hook’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am!’ Not everyone would be so open to that. It’s easy for me to go in and sing a pretty song and get a girl part somewhere, but it’s harder for someone to imagine [a role like Hook] in a different way.”
For Brennan, who plays Fudge (one of the Lost Kids) it’s been fun getting the opportunity to create a brand new and distinctive character. “Fudge is the one who likes to get things done.,” Brennan explains, “She’s very organized. I like to call her the Virgo of the Lost Kids,” she laughs joyfully, “She is there to hold everyone accountable and to be like, ‘Okay, so what are we doing? Why are you not doing it?’” she laughs again, “She has very little patience with the other kids.” Julia Topple plays another Lost Kid named Smudge, but the two are not twins, “We talked about it, because it’s not addressed in the script,” said Brennan, “and decided that it just has to do with who we are closest to of the Lost Kids. So Fudge and Smudge are tight. We spent a lot of time talking about [our own specific characters] in the first week of rehearsal, because we don’t have a lot of dialogue ourselves, but we are onstage so much and have a lot of physical business together, we had to figure out our dynamics very early on to be able to build that.”
Holiff had her first opportunity to bring her Hook to the masses when she took part in the Holiday Parade of Lights on November 16th. She says, “I was a little bit hesitant about what people would say, because maybe they wouldn’t know I was Hook. I went out to the parade and it was so cool, the comments that I heard… there was a little girl being like, “Mommy, Mommy, that’s Captain Hook, that’s Captain Hook!” No one was doubting it.” For Guilderson her favourite thing about playing Tinkerbell is subverting the perception that in order to be strong someone has to be brawny or rough. She says, “every person has the innate ability for strength from the beginning, and so I love that the way that we’ve kind of chosen to go with Tink is that she is light, and fluffy, and awkward, and charming, but she’s also tough as nails, and isn’t afraid to have her moments to be tough, and to say how she feels. She’s a sweet pixie, but with a voice,” she laughs. Her costume beautifully reflects Tink’s power. Guilderson describes it as “Lord of the Rings meets Kermit the Frog” as “it’s just the right shade of green.” It also invokes imagery of “Queen of the Woods,” as she wears her own type of armour. Yet, for an actor, the costume is comfortable and functional, although she is still getting used to her electronic wings. “The team here has put some amazing work into the wings that I can’t even begin to comprehend properly,” Guilderson says.
Holiff is glad that her portrayal of Hook is more dramatic than scary, especially because her two nieces are coming from Ontario over the holidays, and it will be the four year old’s first show ever, “This Captain Hook is a diva. She’s got a lot going on. She is taking control of that stage and taking back what’s hers,” Holiff laughs, “There’s something fun in this version, I don’t think [audiences] are going to hate her. There’s a little bit of her that you’re going to want to see, because it’s a different kind of Hook, and she’s a diva, and she’s taking her space, and it’s sort of like a concert… I’m going to do what I know, as much as I can, which is to put on a show, so I think that people are going to want to see more than just Hook being deranged and awful,” she laughs again.
Brennan is the first transgender woman to perform on Neptune’s Main Stage and she sees a really beautiful metaphor in Peter Pan, especially in relation to the Lost Kids. “I find it to be a really strong metaphor for chosen family, and found family. The Darling kids coming to Neverland and meeting all the Lost Kids, and it’s this group of children who, because of the way they were treated by their parents, whatever that is, we don’t learn (the specifics), but also we don’t need to learn what it was, they run away to Neverland, or in our show Never You Mind Land, and [they] find each other, and create their own community, and what that means for them in finding their own identity and their own rules and society.” In this way, Peter Pan still resonates very poignantly for our times, and Brennan is quick to add that Webb has removed all Barrie’s racist, colonialist, and problematic elements because, fundamentally, none of them are integral to the heart of the story.
Holiff may have found a strong new community herself, “I am falling in love with Halifax very quickly,” she says, “I think I’ve been here for three weeks, and I’ve been inside [in rehearsals] the whole time, but there’s something in the air, there’s something about the people here, and its specifically this theatre- I’m already trying to figure out how to come back. I can see why people fall in love with it. I have to be careful because I have family in Toronto, but I can see myself here, I see can why people come and stay. It’s stunning, and it’s not even summer! Everyone is so nice. It’s just been great. I went for my first lobster dinner here and it was everything I hoped and more.”
I have a feeling Peter Pan is going to be everything one hopes for and more as well.
Peter Pan plays at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall Stage (1593 Argyle Street, Halifax) until January 5th, 2019. The show is currently in Previews and Opens on November 29th, 2019. Performances run Tuesdays to Sundays at 7:30pm with 2:00pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $30.00-$87.00 and are available HERE, by phone at 902.429.7070 or at the Box Office on Argyle Street. The show is two hours and ten minutes (including an intermission) and is recommended for children five years old and up. December 3rd is Industry Night, December 4th is Talkback Night, January 2 is a Relaxed Performance, January 5th at 7:30pm is Pay What You Can. There are no Evening Performances on Sunday, December 8, 15, 22 and No Performance on Wednesday December 25th. There are additional Daytime Matinees on Tuesday, December 24th, Thursday, December 26th and Tuesday, December 31st.
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