The magic of live musical theater is something every family should experience at least once, but when your family sees “Peter Pan” live, they’ll be hooked.
Cody Garcia is Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in “Peter Pan” at The National Theatre. The touring musical production will find a home at The National Theatre from April 9 through April 14.
The musical is an adaptation by playwright Larissa FastHorse and is directed by Emmy Award winner Lonny Price. The production is about 2 hours and 20 minutes long, including an intermission period.
Here, Garcia offers insight into their role and advice for prospective junior actors.
What is it like to take on the persona of Captain Hook?
Well, I’ve had my share of playing iconic characters, characters that people have all, like, preconceptions of, and I love playing this one. This one’s a lot of fun. I’m also playing Mr. Darling at the beginning of the show, and a lot of people don’t realize that I do both, which I think is really, really cool.
I love playing Mr. Darling because of Captain Hook. I love the, like, dichotomy of adding in some, you know, just busy, kind of like angry adult that would make the kids subliminally think that Captain Hook is their (the Darling children’s) father or has close connections to their father, which is why that was cast like that in the first place.
How do you get into character?
I just make sure that my body is warm. I warm my body as much as I can. I always do, like, 100 jumping jacks and a bunch of pushups and all kinds of stuff so that I can be as alert and ready as I can be during rehearsals and on stage. I try to keep my mind and my body as warm and sharp as I possibly can because it is live theater, and you never know what’s going to happen, but specifically during the rehearsal process it’s a big time of discovery and there’s a big time of trying new things. You want to be present and understand what we’re doing—like, understand the communal storytelling, because at the end of the day, it’s not about me. It’s about “Peter Pan” and it’s about Lonnie’s vision and how all these people are working together.
Was Hook your favorite when you were a kid?
Growing up, the mermaids were my favorite from “Peter Pan.” But, Hook was definitely a character that I could sympathize with because he’s absolutely a victim here—I mean, after all, he was just playing with Peter one day, they would normally fight, and then Peter cut off his hand [and] fed it to a crocodile! So, now he rightfully wants revenge.
When did you start doing theater?
I’ve been doing theater my entire life. I feel like I started acting maybe when I was like 7 or 8, doing summer camps and stuff.
What advice would you give to a young person who’s just looking to get their feet wet?
Audition as much as you can. Take as many classes as you can. Start building a strong foundation. I wish I was taking a lot more classes when I was younger. I wish I had committed to the ones that I did take.
Audition as much as you can. Just get yourself out there. Get some experience. When you’re starting out, you’re gonna have to pay for a lot of things—you have to pay for camps and classes and probably to participate in some troop shows, but getting out there and getting experience is one of the best things you can do.
How can parents support their kids in pursuing [opportunities] as they pursue an interest in theater?
Enroll them in classes. Enroll them in dance classes, enroll them in acting classes and voice lessons. Then, I would pick a couple instruments. It’s not going to happen overnight, and when I say that I don’t even know what ‘it’ is, but it’s absolutely something that can happen and is attainable as long as you’re supporting them.
Find showtimes and plan your family’s visit at broadwayatthenational.com.
