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Oh yes it does! Peter Pan gets reimagined as Panto comes to town in Ventura County!

John O'Hurley stars as Captain Hook in the Peter Pan and Tinker Bell Panto which opens Friday in Thousand Oaks
Lythgoe Family Productions
John O'Hurley stars as Captain Hook in the Peter Pan and Tinker Bell Panto which opens Friday in Thousand Oaks

The festive family friendly live theater show opens Friday.

A new twist on a childhood classic is coming to Thousand Oaks as Peter Pan has been given the Panto treatment…but what IS that?

Rehearsals are underway for Peter Pan and Tinkerbell: A Pirates Christmas on the stage at the Scherr Forum Theater in Thousand Oaks. The backdrop is London iconic skyline at dusk, and a cast of dancers run through their steps. If the music sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a reworking of Lizzo’s hit song About Damn Time - so it’s not your average Peter Pan Show. This is Panto!

"It's a story that the kids know," explains Writer and Producer Kris Lythgoe from Lythgoe Family Productions. "We put in pop songs and then obviously it's the songs that the kids know, so they get to sing along to it. So it's a lot of fun. But we encourage kids to make a lot of noise."

Lythgoe says the tradition is well-established in the UK and is a way to get all ages involved in going to the theatre.

"It derives from Shakespeare. So it has that interactive fun, very lighthearted skew on a story that everyone knows," said Lythgoe.

"It's certainly not that time where you, like, sit down and be quiet. This is about bringing the families together, multi-generational, experiencing something that you can all take something different from," he said.

"I come from a family that was behind all that the American Idol shows and the So You Think You Can Dance shows. And we always marvel at the fact how popular it was with all ages - because the grandparents would like Ruben Studdard, but the kid would like, let's say, Carrie Underwood. And so there is something that each generation can take from those shows. And it's the same with panto," said Lythgoe.

And what would a panto be without a really mean baddie. Step forward Seinfeld’s John O’Hurley - who is playing Hook!

O'Hurley admits Hook is "terrifying" - but "he's not the best pirate. Remember, a 12 year old boy lopped off his arm and fed it to a crocodile so he can't be the best of swordsmen. And he's got a lunatic crew that seems to follow him around everywhere. It's a lot of tongue in cheek," said O'Hurley.

O'Hurley says he would describe the panto experience as "a show that is accessible to everyone."

"Whatever this story is that everybody knows, and they layer in popular music, they layer in contemporary choreography, and they try to make a fun story out of it. And that's what panto is. But what makes panto special is that the audience can interact with the actors on stage. So if you want to scream and warn them and they probably are encouraging you to do that, then you can do so. That's what makes it fun. So the kids don't have to sit on their hands," said O'Hurley.

O’Hurley says the energy from the audience from the reimagined and interactive show is very much part of the appeal.

"It's a kind of a healthy interaction. You just have to know that the edges are all kind of round, you know, nothing is sharp and quick, and it has to be said that way. There's no reason you can't stop and add a line and or two or take one out if you have to. But the story is still there. The music is there, the choreography is there, and the kids have a wonderful time," said O'Hurley.

Peter Pan and Tinker Bell – A Pirate’s Christmas opens Friday and runs select nights from December 13 through 29 at the Scherr Forum Theater in Thousand Oaks.

The first 50 customers to snag tickets for the December 14th, 7PM performance of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirates Christmas can enjoy an exclusive Buy One, Get One Free offer with code JOYFUL!

Caroline joined KCLU in October 2020. She won LA Press Club's Audio Journalist of the Year Award in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Since joining the station she's won 10 Golden Mike Awards, 6 Los Angeles Press Club Awards, 4 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing.

She started her broadcasting career in the UK, in both radio and television for BBC News, 95.8 Capital FM and Sky News and was awarded the Prince Philip Medal for her services to radio and journalism in 2007.

She has lived in California for eleven years and is both an American and British citizen - and a very proud mom to her daughter, Elsie.