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YOUNG FOREVER

DESCRIPTION:

This show is a true re-imagining of the Peter Pan story for contemporary times and for today’s kids and young adults.  Gone are the sentimental English Mommy and Daddy in Victorian England.  Gone also is the idealized portrait of childhood as a protective cocoon which separates the children from the adult world.  Instead, it is 2010 and we are in Venice Beach, California with the Barry family – Mom and Dad are just scraping by, the future is uncertain, and the children – three sisters, ages 15, 13 & 11 – are already little adults, filled with anxiety about the world they live in, which cramps their imaginations and feeds on their petty resentments.  Then Peter Pan shows up with Tink and convinces them to go away with him to Neverland – a place of pure adventure and fun, he tells them.  But Peter, too, is not simply the ageless child of J.M. Barrie’s book.  Peter has secrets and ulterior motives, hidden agendas, as the sisters will find out.

And yes, Neverland too is a very different place here from the childhood paradise of Barrie’s story.  While Hook and Tiger Lily can still be found here, along with the Indians, the Pirates, the Fairies and the Lost Kids, the dangers here are real, and the fun-filled adventures also have a purpose, a lesson to teach.  This Island of Neverland is ruled over by M, the Magic Man, half-entertainer, half-preacher, a character much like the King of Pop Michael Jackson, who “sees all and feels all,” and who is all too aware of how fleeting innocence is, and what a vacuum is left behind when a person loses touch with his or her soul.  It is the Magic Man’s task to try to heal the world – a world that is constantly on the brink of coming loose from its moorings – and he is well aware of what will happen if he falters.

So no, this is not the same old Peter Pan story. There are new characters among the Pirates, indians and especially the Lost Kids, and a powerful new spin on the real story behind Peter's Shadow. But there are also lots of laughs, adventure and magic; 19 original songs, and a dive into the dark side of Peter Pan. Even Tinker Bell isn't just the sweet fairy anymore; when she discovers Peter’s deception and hypocrisy, then another side of Tink will emerge, we will get a glimpse into her hidden feelings and the many sacrifices she has made to follow her affection for Peter.

The show opens up new worlds and new vistas within a familiar story that we thought we already knew.  It is fun, playful, and thought-provoking.  It displays the ecstatic joys of pure creativity, but it also delves into the realms of fear and hypocrisy that run through Neverland just as they do through the modern world.  This show will provide children, young adults and grownups with a new myth of childhood and imagination, one that should resonate deeply with contemporary audiences everywhere.

YUVAL SHREM (Music) – Yuval has worked extensively in Israeli TV, both as a composer and as a director.  He has also directed several short films.  Contact Info:  yuval@yuvalshrem.com   And check out the website for this project at www.youngforevermusical.com

YF - This new musical adaptation of the Peter Pan story - featuring 20 original songs - examines the dark side of choosing to stay young forever. As Peter Pan struggles with his conflicted Shadow, he and his fairy friend Tink come across contemporary Wendy Barry, her younger brother Dave and their youngest sister Lucy, and invite them to join an adventure in Neverland, a fantasy island ruled by M – the Magic Man.  Once there, Peter finds himself vying for Wendy's affection with Rudy, a Lost Boy.   But when Captain Hook and his Pirates put them all in grave danger, a different side of Peter Pan is finally revealed, and tough choices will have to be made.

CHARACTERS - At Least 15 Actors Needed

PETER PAN – (Late teens – Early 20’s) – Tenor/Baritone

CAPTAIN HOOK – (40-50) – The Pirate avatar of evil and mayhem.  Bass/Barritone

M – the Magic Man, infused by the spirit of Michael Jackson (20’s-40’s) – Tenor

RUDY – (15-17) – A Lost Boy from Peru. Tenor

DAVE BARRY (13) / FLYNN (13) – Male actor plays Flynn in first scene; then Dave. – Tenor

JIM/ INDIAN -  Male actor plays Jim, age 15; also an Indian Brave . – Tenor / Baritone

TIGER LILY (17)  – An Indian friend of Peter’s, MOM (VO) – Alto/Mezzo

TINK – (late teens-mid 20’s) young, ageless; a rebel fairy; Female - Soprano

WENDY BARRY – (15) – from Venice, CA - Mezzo soprano

LUCY BARRY –  (9) youngest of the Barry children - Soprano

SMEE/ EMMET – age 25; played by Male actor, 22-29 – Bass / Baritone

NOODLES/ INDIAN –  Male actor late 20s plays Noodles (27), a pirate; also an Indian Brave.  And also Peter’s Shadow, when the actor playing Jim isn’t available. – Baritone

CECCO/ FAST WOLF/ EMMET/ZENO  – Male actor 20s play Cecco, a pirate; also Fast Wolf, an Indian leader.  Also Zeno, Mom’s boyfriend. And a backup to M  – Tenor / Baritone

SHADOW – Male Actor plays Peter’s Shadow.  Must excel in discipline of movement.

EMMET/ INDIAN/ MOM (vo only) – Female Actor plays a backup singer to M and an Indian Brave and the Mom (Voice only).

The actor playing FLYNN should not be recognizable as the same actor who goes on to play DAVE BARRY the rest of the play. The EMMETS consist of three backup singers for M.