Peter Pan returns as a whimsical dance interpretation at KC Ballet

Kansas City Ballet Dancers Taryn Pachciarz and Paul Zusi in Devon Carney’s Peter Pan. // Photography by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios.

Before stepping foot into the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts on February 16, I had never seen a ballet before. Despite my girlfriend’s love for the art, it just never appealed to me and I never made it a priority. However, I was quickly impressed. The athleticism and amount of work people put in to be center stage  seems unimaginable to me.

All that being said, I loved this performance. It’s been ages since I’ve seen Peter Pan in any capacity and my main worry going in was that I wouldn’t remember the story, since there isn’t any speaking. Between the music and the dancing, it all came back to me. In 2018, KC Ballet performed Peter Pan at Kauffman, which carried over some of the same worries from six years ago.

“My big, nervous thing was will the audience know to applaud when Tinkerbell is laying on the ground dead,” KC Ballet artistic director Devon Carney says.

The crowd in 2018 got the memo, and it seems like this year did as well, being there was no hesitation.

Of course, you’d be forgiven for thinking that if you saw the last one, you don’t need to see this one. “It’s just being restaged with the same costumes, the same sets, same lighting. Pretty much not the same dancers, though,” Carney says. “Every dancer like every writer is going to see something and interpreted differently, which is what’s cool about the show.”

Whether or not that justifies an entire new performance is up for the viewer to decide. There are also two sets of casts for this year’s production. I went to the February 16 performance, so anyone named brought up here will be from that.

The main thing that was refreshing was the sense of comedy. Troy Monger-Levin’s performance as the crocodile was probably the most amusing. The contrast between elegant ballet to a crocodile doing a variety of crude dances was honestly a highlight. There wasn’t a moment on stage that wasn’t bringing out a laugh from the audience.

Kansas City Ballet Second Company Dancer Troy Monger-Levin in Devon Carney’s Peter Pan. // Photography by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios.

I’d be mistaken not to talk about the rest of the cast. When it comes to personality, the two highlights were easily Captain Hook, and Peter Pan, played by Andrew Vecseri and Paul Zusi, respectively. Captain Hook’s egotistical and loud personality is well known by anyone who has seen any adaptation of him, and that was clearly on display with this presentation. He even was carried in on a palanquin, which is one of those thrones that forms of royalty usually get carried around by four people in. I loved watching him dance with the crocodile. Every time the crocodile turned his head, he had to dodge the mouth coming right at his face.

Zusi’s take on Peter Pan was exceptionally emotional, capturing the heroic yet immature child perfectly. “Because this ballet is acting heavy, you generally can bring a lot of your own flair, I guess, or interpretation to a character,” Zusi says.

Kansas City Ballet Dancer Amanda DeVenuta with Kansas City Ballet School Students in Devon Carney’s Peter Pan. // Photography by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios.

Even though there is no speaking in the performance, from that alone you can get a feel of the character. I watched both Zusi practice with Taryn Pachciarz, the dancer who played the role of Wendy Darling, as well as their opposing cast members Elliot Rogers and Naomi Tanioka.

The dancing itself was stellar. Obviously I’m not an expert, but between all the flying and a lot of jumping around, it’s clear a lot of time and effort went into this.

Zusi mentioned that one of the things he was worried about was flying. “I have a minor fear of heights,” Zusi says. “So some of the crazier flying, like those backflips, my fear of heights didn’t come into play, because you’re not looking at the ground, really. Whatever is happening is happening in the air. But for some of these flights, I am a little nervous about looking at the ground, losing focus, and not falling. Because, I mean, I’m on a harness, I won’t fall, but don’t want to mess up musicality.”

Despite this fear, there was not an ounce of hesitation in him. When the time came for him to fly, he took off and didn’t look back, fluttering around the room and fighting foes.

The set itself looked almost like a children’s popup book come to life. It was clear the audience was immersed in the show throughout its entirety, hardly noticing any time had passed until the lights came on for curtain call, where all the students students got standing ovations and resulting in a simultaneous “aww” from the audience when the Sprites came on stage—with the character Michael Darling being a highlight of the night.

I’m already gleefully anticipating catching the next story KC Ballet reimagines, and what these dancers bring to the stage.