On stage now at the La Jolla Playhouse is a new musical "Fly," based on the novel "Peter and Wendy" by J.M. Barrie. It features powerful aerial acrobatics, a dynamic soundtrack and a modern, thoughtful and warmly funny take on friendship, gender, masculinity and adulting.
For "Fly," Jeffrey Seller made a much-anticipated return to directing after decades of producing success. The four-time Tony Award winner produced "Rent," "Hamilton," "In the Heights" and more.
Seller joined Midday Edition to discuss the play, which was a long time in the making.
"I think I have been thinking about Peter Pan and Captain Hook since I was about 8 years old," Seller said.
The process for writing this play — alongside writer Rajiv Joseph and lyricist Kirsten Childs — took nearly a decade.
"Our interest in Wendy as a hero, in Wendy as the center of a moral compass, in Wendy as a girl on the precipice of womanhood precedes the MeToo movement," Seller said. "We were first led by the notion that the first character that Barrie mentions is not Peter, it's Wendy."
The striking music and choreography (and yes, the flying) in the play is inspired by a wide range of influences. Drums take the place of the ticking clock throughout the story, and the aerial acrobatics are more than just technical sorcery — they are a full-bodied presence on stage, almost like a character.
"It's muscular, and it's fully in view, and we're not going to try to hide anything," Seller said. "So you see the carabiner, you see the equipment and you say, 'yeah, that's cool.'"
With the La Jolla Playhouse enjoying success in sending productions to Broadway, Seller still remains focused on each performance.
"I don't think there is a musical creator alive who doesn't dream about Broadway. But our goal here is to make the best show we can, and then let the world tell us what happens next," he said.
"Fly" runs at the La Jolla Playhouse through March 29.
