Looking out at the costumed crowd waiting for the matinee of the Goffstown High School Performing Arts production of Peter Pan, there is an air of excitement. The consensus after opening night was that it was a spectacular and hilarious show. This reputation is well deserved as everyone, not just the actors, brought the classic story to life. Freshman Phoebe Castellano may be new to GHS but her performance showed that she is no stranger to the stage as she whisked us away to Neverland as Peter Pan. The mischievous feel that she brought to the character paired well with her co-star Autumn Hirsch’s no-nonsense performance as Wendy. Facing off against them, was the hilarious pirate crew of Captain Hook (Griffin Hansen), Mr. Smee (Paul Rescigno) and Starkey (Anna Toli). This trio provided laughs with their pirating ways, displaying comedic chemistry that had everyone in stitches. The ensemble of lost boys were certainly not lost on stage, and brought smiles to the audience and pain to the pirates in their well choreographed stage fighting. To round out the talented cast, Alaina Winrow grabbed everyone’s attention as Mrs. Darling and displayed emotions that made you feel the characters pain and joy.

The actors are not the only ones who did a magnificent job at bringing the show together; the tech departments ingenious effect portraying Tinkerbell brought life to a character that only ever jingled. Mya Whitten’s lighting talents always gave the right ambiance to every scene, engaging everyone in the action, while the sound crew made the sounds of Neverland come to life.

The show brought endless laughter, wide smiles, put us the characters shoes, and left me walking away satisfied and wanting more! I would recommend everyone go see, unless of course you have a fear of ticking crocodiles!