Bailey Frankenberg didn’t connect with “Peter Pan” as a kid.
“It didn’t speak to me because I didn’t feel like Neverland was for me,” the actor told the Herald.
Frankenberg is Choctaw and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. And whether it was J. M. Barrie’s 1904 play, Disney’s 1953 animated film, or the 1954 Broadway musical, “Peter Pan” stories too often included cruel and cliched depictions of both Native peoples and women. But in 2024, the immortal fairytale was updated by Sicangu Lakota Nation member and 2020 MacArthur Fellow Larissa FastHorse.
“This version of Neverland is one that I believe in,” Frankenberg said ahead of “Peter Pan’s” Jan. 21 to Feb. 2 run at Citizens Opera House.
While Frankenberg says the humor, heart, joy, and magic of the 1954 musical remain, the setting and a few songs have been changed — the action moves from Edwardian London to contemporary America; a few tunes have been cut for fresh ones. One of the big changes comes with her character of Tiger Lily.
“She’s probably the most revised character in the whole script,” Frankenberg said. “Tiger Lily is a more fleshed-out character with more lines and bigger fight sequences… Instead of being a chief’s daughter from a stereotypical Plains tribe, now she leads an entire band of warriors who are all the last of their peoples from around the world.”
(Costume designer Sarafina Bush went so far as to create wardrobes based on the personal heritage of everyone in the ensemble.)
For Frankenberg, the role of lead warrior fits. She holds more than half a dozen certifications in different forms of stage combat. She has to use a ton of them in this show as both an actor and the production’s fight captain.
“It’s so great to apply all these skill sets to the show,” she said. “Whenever we have a new cast member come in, I have a ‘learning how to swing your sword’ session because there is a lot of fighting in the show. There are even kids with swords in the show. It’s fun to teach an eight-year-old how to use a sword to fight the big villain.”
Like the original musical, “Peter Pan” is built for kids. It remains the ideal gateway to theater for young people.
“A lot of time, this is the first piece of theater these kids have seen, which is really exciting,” Frankenberg said. “With older (audience members), many have said to me, ‘This is my favorite musical and I loved ‘Peter Pan’ as a kid.’ Sometimes it’s a question of how precious the story is to them and they have opinions about it not being Edwardian or this or that. But most people have loved it. A woman in Dallas just said to me that this was her favorite version.”
“It’s still ‘Peter Pan,’” she added. “It’s just more available to everybody and because of that we can reach more people and connect them to the story.”
For tickets and details, visit boston.broadway.com