There is something magical about bringing your four-year-old son to a Peter Pan play and letting him fly into the amazing universe imagined by Sir James Matthew Barrie and put to music by Leonard Bernstein. In this interpretation magically produced by Ellen Pasternack, directed by Albert Ihde and the whole ensemble of The Santa Barbara Theatre, your kids and yourself will be transported as through the mirror to a limitless world where everything is possible if you dare to dream it.

Indeed, the main metaphor beyond the joyful ride through a world of pirates, mermaids and lost boys is one of the eternal struggle between the mature, boring world of the adults and the innocent, pure, playful universe of the kids. Because society has domesticated us into little robot-like consumers and producer-slaves, it is quite hard, at times, to break the mold, to escape from the tight leash of Big Brother and take off into the wide open sky of possibilities. But one has to admit that it is only when we do the impossible, when we break the mold, when we dare to rebel, that creativity, the ‘divine’ within, come to the rescue and reveal a world of wonders where the spirit and the material unite, the adult and the child make peace and come out as one voice.

Let’s salute the solid and affirming performances of a cast that gives you all they can fly for a three-hour show, keeping you on the edge of your ship…I mean, seat! Bravo to the sweet voice of narrator and Mrs. Darling, Suzanne Friedline, for the complex depth and wickedness of Robert Yacko and his extra-original performance of Captain Hook. But also let’s recognize the promising talent of Ronit Aranoff (Wendy) and her angelic voice, as well as the many unique talents of the dozens of performers invoking the child in us and the adventurers we wish we were. And let’s not forget to bow in front of the accomplishment of Gary Wissman for some very effective and creative sets, helping bring to life Peter’s wonder-world.

So dust off the wings of your imagination, open the windows of your incarcerated mind and sail to the land of Peter Pan at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. You’ll find it next to the third pixie dust shining on the left of the North Star. It’s there I have anchored my pirate boat and will wait for you for the final showdown of eternal reveries and hopes of immortality. As long as you dream, Reality will be.