For six years, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown has been the place for top-notch dinner theater in Northern Colorado. I enjoy the venue because inside this expansive and luxurious space I am transported to another place and time.
Sometimes I’m transported to Bangkok (The King & I) or a steam liner (Anything Goes) or the mighty Mississippi (Big River, the Adventure of Huck Finn). In their newest production, the audience is transported to Neverland, complete with a flying Peter Pan, ticking crocodile and dancing Indians.
We saw the play on the Thursday before the Fourth of July, and the place was packed with folks of all ages. Having missed the last show, we were interested to see what new items had made it onto the menu, and we weren’t disappointed. Since Neverland is a tropical place, the chef designed entrees with a Jamaican flair.
Ryan went with the Buccaneer Chicken with Jamaican jerk seasoning and served with wild rice and summer squash. I choose the Jamaican Vegetable Curry, a vegetarian option, but I added chicken. This is not a typical curry, but it was tasty and had a spicy jerk kick. Ryan’s chicken, on the bone, was nice and juicy.
We paired our meals with wine, and the Candlelight has an extensive wine list for a dinner theater, but they also create specialty cocktails for each show. For this particular show the kids can indulge in a special drink, including Island Punch or Fairy Juice.
Of course, you remember the story; Wendy and her brothers join Peter Pan, the boy who never wants to grow up, in Neverland for countless adventures.
Melissa Morris is Peter Pan, and she has endless energy on stage. She has the perfect combination of spunk and attitude to play the boy who never wants to grow up. Jessica Jacobson, a Junior Musical Theater Major at University of Northern Colorado, is a standout as Wendy, and her musical talented is on beautiful display in this production.
Peter Pan has a large cast and many of the actors are under the age of 20, so I was blown away by the professionalism of the production. We have an expectation of flawless performances by adults, but we tend to give a little leeway to child actors, but these kids needed no leeway. They were really amazing, especially given the fact that they sing, dance and some even fly.
This show is a real crowd pleaser, and while we were thoroughly entertained, the children seated around us were over the moon. It was fun to listen to their commentary and hear their excited boos whenever Captain Hook took the stage. Much to our amusement, as the show progressed, the boos from the five-year-old boy sitting near us became more and more enthusiastic.
I think a 10-year-old sitting at the table next to ours said it best. As the curtain fell she declared, “That was their best show yet!”
Peter Pan is on stage at Candlelight through August 24. I highly recommend you catch it before it flies away. Visit Candlelight Dinner Theater online at ColoradoCandlelight.com to see the show schedule and to purchase tickets.
Review also appearing in the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor.
