RED BANK: ‘PETER PAN’ GOING UP

Rumson’s Patricia McCarron is an imperiled Princess Tiger Lily at the center of a square-off between Mike Patierno (as Captain Hook) and Jennifer Townsend in the title role of PETER PAN. 

It’s been quite a year for Phoenix Productions, the long-running, Red Bank-based theatrical company that moved recently to a spacious new state-of-the-art headquarters on Chestnut Street. Apparently still floating somewhere east of Cloud Nine, the Phoenix phalanx mapped out a 2015 season that spotlighted such high-flying family favorites as Mary Poppins — and beginning this Friday, Phoenix rises once more to the occasion with another famously gravity-defying musical entertainment, Peter Pan.

Running six performances through November 22, the musicalization of J.M. Barrie’s forever-young story takes to the grand stage and rafters of the Count Basie Theatre this weekend, with a multi-generational cast of Phoenix veterans and newcomers working alongside producer Christine Paccillo to cap a successful 2015 season on the Basie boards.

An Oceanport native and a graduate of both Shore Regional High School and Monmouth University, Jennifer Townsend takes on the title role of the Boy Who Won’t Grow Up, an adventure-attracting babysitter to the Darling family children and a pixie-ish part long associated with Broadway legend Mary Martin and Olympic gymnast-turned-stage-star Cathy Rigby.

Doing double duty as Mr. Darling and the seafaring scalawag Captain Hook is Mike Patierno, and the supporting cast of Darling kids, Lost Boys, Pirates and Indians includes Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School grad Patricia McCarron as Princess Tiger Lily and local stage stalwart Todd Aikens as the Captain’s mate Mr. Smee.

Featuring a score highlighted by “Never Never Land” and “I Won’t Grow Up,” Peter Pan presents performances on Fridays and Saturdays (November 13, 14, 20, 21) at 8 p.m., plus Sundays (November 15 and 22) at 3 p.m. Take it here to reserve tickets ($22 – $32), or go here for additional information on this and other programs from Phoenix Productions.