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''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
that was broadcast by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
on December 4, 2014. The special featured a
live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...
production of the 1954 musical adaptation of ''
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'', televised from
Grumman Studios Grumman Studios is a sound stage complex in Bethpage, New York, United States, that offers 160,000 square feet with seven sound stages and 30 acres of paved outdoor space. Principal owner in the project is Parviz Farahzad whose production company ...
in
Bethpage, New York Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 16,429 at the 2010 United States Cen ...
, starring Allison Williams in the
title role The title character in a Narrative, narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The ...
and
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
as
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
. The production was a follow-up to ''
The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical ''T ...
''—a similar adaptation of the 1959 play ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
'' which aired on NBC in December 2013 and brought the network's highest Thursday-night ratings since 2004. NBC's entertainment head
Bob Greenblatt Robert Greenblatt (born 1959/1960) is an American television executive, former Chairman of NBC Entertainment and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He has since launched his production company, The Green Room Early life and educatio ...
would sign
Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...
and
Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...
—who served as the
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
s of the special, to produce another live musical for the 2014 holiday season. Additionally, the production served as a follow-up to three productions of ''Peter Pan'' produced for NBC in 1955, 1956, and 1960 that featured cast members from its original
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
run. While similar in content to the original, the version of ''Peter Pan'' featured in the special contained revisions to its
book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
to emphasize the character of
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
, along with additional songs from its revivals, new songs adapted from the musicals '' Do Re Mi'' and ''
Say, Darling ''Say, Darling'' is a three-act comic play by Abe Burrows and Richard and Marian Bissell about the creation of a Broadway musical. Although the play featured nine original songs with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Sty ...
'', and the restoration of a song that had been cut from the musical before its original Broadway premiere.


Cast

*
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
as
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
* Allison Williams as
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
* Taylor Louderman as
Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...
*
Jake Lucas Jake Lucas is an American child actor with credits in musical theatre, film and television. After appearances in the children's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and in other musicals on and off-Broadway, he appeared as Louis Leonowens in the 2015 Br ...
as John Darling * John Allyn as Michael Darling *
Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...
as
Mr. Smee Mr. Smee is a fictional character who serves as Captain Hook's boatswain in J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy''. History Mr. Smee seems an oddly genial man for a pirate; Ba ...
/
George Darling George Darling, Baron Darling of Hillsborough, PC (20 July 1905 – 18 October 1985) was a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hillsborough from 1950 to 1974. Early life and education ...
* Kathryn Terza as Liza Darling *
Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her pe ...
as Mrs. Darling * Alanna Saunders as Tiger Lily *
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is an English actress. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in 1995's '' Circle of Friends''. She went on to star in a wide range of films including the cult classic ''Grosse ...
as adult Wendy/Narrator * Caitlin Houlahan as Jane * F. Michael Haynie as Slightly Soiled * Jason Gotay as Tootles * Jacob and David Guzman as the Twins * Ryan Steele as Curly *
Chris McCarrell Chris McCarrell (born January 9, 1991) is an American theater and television actor and singer. He is best known for portraying Marius Pontmercy in the Broadway revival of ''Les Misérables,'' and for originating the titular character in '' The Li ...
as Nibs * Bryce Ryness as Starkey * Michael Park as Cecco * Austin Lesch as Bill Jukes * Alan H. Green as Cookson * Chris Sullivan as Noodler * Ryan Andes as Admiral Chrichton * John Arthur Greene as Mullins * Michael Hartung as Sniffler * Garrett Hawe as Patches * Daniel Quadrino as Bunting * T.Oliver Reid as Oliver Shreeks * Gary Milner as The Vicar * Matt Wall as Skylights *
Dyllón Burnside Dyllón Burnside is an American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Ricky Evangelista, a dancer, in the FX television series '' Pose''. Career Burnside got his first start at age 12 when he performed as the lead singer of hip-hop ...
as Prickles * James Brown III, Dominique Kelley, Marty Lawson, Michael Munday, Andrew Pirozzi, C.J. Tyson, Keenan Washington, Charlie Williams, Alex Wong as Pirates/Lost Boys * Helen Anker, Stephanie Kim, Sarah O'Gleby as Dancers/Indians/Native American Tribe * Henry Gottfried as Peter Pan understudy/swing for lost boys


Development and production

In December 2013, NBC presented ''
The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the special was an adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1959 Broadway musical ''T ...
''—a live adaptation of the Broadway musical ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...
'' that starred
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
performer and singer
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
and was produced by
Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...
and
Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...
. After bringing NBC's highest Thursday night ratings for entertainment programming since 2004, NBC's entertainment head
Bob Greenblatt Robert Greenblatt (born 1959/1960) is an American television executive, former Chairman of NBC Entertainment and former Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He has since launched his production company, The Green Room Early life and educatio ...
announced that the network would present another live musical for the 2014 holiday season, and that it had signed Meron and Zadan on to continue their role as producers. Greenblatt felt that there were enough recognizable, family-friendly musicals to make live musicals an annual tradition, and noted that various theatrical rightsholders had expressed interest in having their musicals adapted for television in this manner. In January 2014, NBC announced that its next musical would be an adaptation of the 1954 musical ''
Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
''. This would not be the first time that NBC had broadcast a live production of ''Peter Pan'', as a presentation featuring
Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...
,
Cyril Ritchard Cyril Joseph Trimnell-Ritchard (1 December 1898 – 18 December 1977), known professionally as Cyril Ritchard, was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in ...
, and its original Broadway cast was presented by NBC on March 7, 1955, as part of the anthology series ''
Producers' Showcase ''Producers' Showcase'' is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth M ...
''. The telecast, produced by
Fred Coe Frederick Hayden Hughs Coe (December 23, 1914 – April 29, 1979) was an American television producer and director most famous for '' The Goodyear Television Playhouse''/''The Philco Television Playhouse'' in 1948-1955 and ''Playhouse 90'' from 1 ...
, was one of the highest-rated programs in the early history of television, Martin and Ritchard would reprise their roles in another live presentation in 1956, along with a color presentation in 1960 that was videotaped and rebroadcast several times afterwards. Produced on a $10 million budget and broadcast live from the
Grumman Studios Grumman Studios is a sound stage complex in Bethpage, New York, United States, that offers 160,000 square feet with seven sound stages and 30 acres of paved outdoor space. Principal owner in the project is Parviz Farahzad whose production company ...
in
Bethpage, New York Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 16,429 at the 2010 United States Cen ...
, the staff from ''The Sound of Music Live!'' was carried over to ''Peter Pan'', including Zadan and Meron, along with David Chase as music director and
Derek McLane Derek McLane (born June 14, 1958, in London, England) is an American set designer for theatre, opera, and television. He graduated with a BA from Harvard College and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Career McLane has designed more than 350 pr ...
as
production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...
. Whilst producing ''The Sound of Music Live!'', Zadan and Meron shared a fondness for creating what Meron described as "moments of theatricality"—a practice that carried over into ''Peter Pan Live!''. Meron emphasized that the production would not be bound to the limitations of a traditional
stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...
setting, allowing for larger sets, and "dynamic" camera angles and flying sequences. In total, he described the production as a "total balls-out musical." The production employed a CGI version of
Tinker Bell Tinker Bell is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan'' and its 1911 novelisation ''Peter and Wendy''. She has appeared in a variety of film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 an ...
: rendered live and controlled by a technician, it expressed emotions and thoughts by changing its size and color. Allison Williams, star of the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series ''
Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.c ...
'' and daughter of ''
NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...
'' anchor
Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American retired journalist and television news anchor. He was a reporter for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in 2004. ...
, was cast as Peter Pan, continuing an established tradition of females portraying the title character of the musical. Actor
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
was cast as
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
; Walken showed uncertainty for his role in the production due to its unique format, noting that "when you do a
tage Tage is a masculine given name with Danish origins. People with the name include: * Tage Åsén (born 1943), Swedish artist * Tage Aurell (1895–1976), Swedish journalist and novelist * Tage Brauer (1894–1988), Swedish athlete * Tage Danielss ...
show, even if it isn’t a hit, you’re in previews for a few weeks and you get comfortable in the role. This is rehearsed as a stage show, but then the cameras are there. I’m never even sure when the camera is on me." In total, the production featured 46 cast members, and a production crew of at least 350 members. Admitting that ''Peter Pan'' was not as much of a "bona fide classic" as ''The Sound of Music'', Meron's crew was given flexibility in revising the show's contents.
Irene Mecchi Irene Mecchi (born September 21, 1949) is an American screenwriter and playwright, whose prominent works include screenplays for several Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney animated films. She co-authored the screenplays for ''The Lion King'' (1 ...
— who is best known for her
screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...
contributions to films such as ''
The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...
'' – was brought in to "strengthen and deepen" the portrayal of
Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
in the production. Revisions were also made to its soundtrack, including the addition of new songs with lyrical adaptations by
Amanda Green Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history. Early life and educ ...
, the daughter of
Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...
, who, with
Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...
and
Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...
, added some songs for later productions, including "Never Never Land". New songs added to the production included the Captain Hook song "Vengeance", an adaptation of "Ambition" from the Styne-Comden-Green musical '' Do Re Mi'', "Only Pretend", adapted from "I Know About Love", also from ''Do Re Mi'', and the Peter and Hook duet "A Wonderful World Without Peter", adapted from “Something’s Always Happening On The River” from the Styne-Comden-Green musical ''
Say, Darling ''Say, Darling'' is a three-act comic play by Abe Burrows and Richard and Marian Bissell about the creation of a Broadway musical. Although the play featured nine original songs with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Sty ...
''. "When I Went Home", a song sung by Peter that was cut before the musical's 1954 premiere due to a "subdued" reaction in try-outs, was also restored for this production; Meron explained that the song would help viewers to "understand more" about the character of Peter Pan. "Oh My Mysterious Lady", a song written with
Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...
in mind, was cut from the show while the song "Ugg-a-Wugg", which contained racially insensitive lyrics, was rewritten into a new song entitled "True Blood Brothers." As in ''The Sound of Music Live!'',
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
served as a major sponsor of the telecast. NBC produced five themed Walmart commercials starring
Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and director. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003), and ''M ...
and her family, to air throughout the special. The commercials featured allusions to ''Peter Pan'' and presentations of products from the store.


Musical numbers and soundtrack

A soundtrack was released on both digital and physical format by Broadway Records on December 16, 2014. #"Tender Shepherd" – Mrs. Darling, Wendy, Michael, John #"I've Gotta Crow" – Peter #"Never Never Land" – Peter #"I'm Flying" – Peter, Wendy, Michael, John #"Pirate Song" – The Pirates #"Vengeance" – Hook and the Pirates #"Hook's Tango" – Hook and the Pirates #"Indians" – Tiger Lily and the Indians #"Wendy" – Peter and the Lost Boys #"My Tarantella" – Hook and the Pirates #"I Won't Grow Up" – Peter, the Lost Boys, Wendy, Michael, John #"Only Pretend" – Wendy and Liza #"Wonderful World Without Peter" – Peter and Hook #"True Blood Brothers" – Peter, Tiger Lily, Lost Boys, Indians, Wendy, Michael, John #"Distant Melody" – Peter #"When I Went Home" – Peter and Wendy #"I'm Flying" (reprise) – Peter #"Hook's Waltz" – Hook and the Pirates #"I've Gotta Crow" (reprise) – Peter and the company #"Only Pretend" (reprise) / "Tender Shepherd" (reprise) – Mrs. Darling, Wendy, Liza, Michael, John #"We Will Grow Up" (reprise) – Mr. and Mrs. Darling, Wendy, Michael, John, Liza, the Lost Boys, Nana #"Finale Ultimo: Never Never Land (reprise)" – Peter


Reception

''Peter Pan Live!'' aired on the night of December 4, 2014 on NBC and was met with immediate public and critical reactions, both positive and negative. After a mediocre reception to the network's ''The Sound of Music Live!'' from 2013, many viewers were wary of the new production. Lead actress Allison Williams warned viewers in an interview with ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'': “I will say this about last year: today’s audiences like to watch things cynically. And I’m on a show that’s cynical in tone so I’m no stranger to that … Hate-watching is a thing. It’s a whole way of watching something, and it’s not an audience that’s natural to a non-cynical performance. ''Peter Pan'', you cannot watch cynically. If you do, you’re going to hate it, no question. It falls apart instantly.” She said almost the opposite to
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, which reported that NBC expected that "hate-watchers" would help the event to succeed. Viewers shared their opinions on social media platforms using the hashtag #PeterPanLive and on the live blog on ''The Guardians website, which gave such notes as: "As long and draggy and nonsensical as the show was, NBC didn’t spare any expense with the talent or production and they really pulled it off." While many reviewers expressed relief that the broadcast did not experience any major problems, critical reviews were mixed overall.Hetrick, Adam
"The Verdict: Read Reviews of ''Peter Pan Live!'' on NBC"
''Playbill'', December 4, 2014
''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' panned the broadcast, especially Williams and Walken. The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
called the production "an oddly ponderous, disconnected, disjointed and jerky mess. If it had been a Broadway show, it would have gotten the hook (pun intended)." The ''
New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' gave it two of five stars, writing that "we just weren't feeling the pixie dust". Likewise, ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called it "a woefully lifeless production". ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
s Caroline Siede gave the production a B+, calling it superior to the previous year's performance and a "colorful, competent, occasionally moving piece of musical theater". ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' gave it a mostly positive review for the production, but questioned the new material. Melissa Maerz of ''Entertainment Weekly'' also gave it a mixed review calling it "Totally fine. ... Nothing spectacular. But nothing so embarrassing as NBC’s live production of ''The Sound of Music''". ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' gave the production a rave review, highlighting both Williams' and Walken's performances saying, "It was a night where everything else about the play was shunted to the side as Williams and Walken grabbed your attention. Everything that could go wrong ''didn't'' go wrong and that's a credit the myriad people behind the scenes who pulled it off."


Viewership

''Peter Pan Live!'' was seen in its original airing by 9.21 million viewers with a ratings share of 2.4/7 among adults 18–49, making it the most-watched program of the night across the major networks—but trailing a ''
Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'' game on
NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NFL ...
, which brought 9.1 million viewers, but had a larger 18–49 share of 3.2/10. The special also brought NBC its second-highest 18–49 ratings on Thursday night entertainment programming since ''The Sound of Music Live!'' before being surpassed by ''
The Wiz Live! ''The Wiz Live!'' is an American television special that aired live on NBC on December 3, 2015. Produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 1975 Broadway musical ''The Wiz'', a soul/ R&B reinterpretation o ...
'' a year later. Greenblatt did not expect viewership for ''Peter Pan Live!'' to be as high as that of ''The Sound of Music Live!'', but still felt that NBC had a "great night", and thanked the cast and crew for their involvement in "three months of the hardest work I’ve ever seen." Nielsen also estimated that over 475,000 posts were made about the telecast on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, which were seen 106.9 million times—more than double the number of views that tweets during ''The Sound of Music Live!'' received. The special retained 61% of its viewership, from beginning to end. A behind-the-scenes special, ''The Making of Peter Pan Live!'', was broadcast by NBC on November 26, 2014Hetrick, Adam
"Minnie Driver Will Fly to NBC's ''Peter Pan Live!''; ''Making Of'' Special Sets Air Date"
Playbill.com, November 5, 2014. Accessed December 5, 2014.
and seen by 3.02 million viewers. NBC showed an encore presentation of ''Peter Pan Live!'' on Saturday, December 13, 2014. The rebroadcast was seen by 1.5 million viewers. ''Peter Pan Live!'' was included as part of 'The Shows Must Go On' series of musicals launched by
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
on YouTube in response to Covid-19. It was originally intended to be available for 48 hours from the 5th of June 2020, however in response to the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement it was postponed until the 20th of June 2020.


Accolades


Parodies

In 2014, in season 40 of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'', the cast parodied the special, with guest star
James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...
as Captain Hook,
Cecily Strong Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. Strong is most notable for being a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2012 to 2022. She is also the longest-tenured female cast member in the s ...
as Peter Pan,
Kate McKinnon Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions on the sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (2012–2022), of which she was a ca ...
as Wendy,
Aidy Bryant Aidan Mackenzy Bryant (born May 7, 1987) is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the late-night variety series ''Saturday Night Live'' (2012–2022), beginning in season 38, and leaving at the end of season 47. For her wo ...
as Tonkerbell, Tinkerbell's half-sister who is part housefly and part fairy.


Home media release

A
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
of the special was released on December 16, 2014, through
Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
. The DVD includes the behind-the-scenes special, ''The Making of Peter Pan Live!''.


References


Further reading

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External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2010s American television specials 2014 television specials American live television shows English-language television shows Musical television films Musical television specials NBC television specials Peter Pan films Television shows based on plays Television shows filmed in New York (state) Television shows set in London Works based on Peter Pan Films with screenplays by Irene Mecchi