This Native American princess helps make ‘Peter Pan’ take flight

One of Barrie’s working titles was even “Great White Father,” which is what the Native Americans in Neverland call Peter at one point (in the original) as they bow down to him.

The musical version that first aired on NBC in 1954 starring Mary Martin did not diminish that racism, adding a song called “Ugg-a-Wugg,” to suggest how the Native Americans spoke.

“I have some Native friends, and in a world where there’s a lot of things like that in our face, you just have to say, ‘OK, we need to move forward from this,’” Frankenberg said. “They speak in very broken English and incomplete sentences, just caricatures.”

Credit: (Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman)

Credit: (Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman)

The musical opening at the Fox Theatre on April 29 is that original NBC classic that starred Martin (and later Cathy Rigby and Sandy Duncan) but rewritten for modern audiences by playwright Larissa FastHorse (“The Thanksgiving Play”), a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation.

FastHorse kept the character name Tiger Lily (too iconic), but she is now a warrior with a full backstory. Some new songs have been added, and “Ugg-a-Wugg” is not to be heard. Most of the original crowd-pleasing songs remain, such as “I Won’t Grow Up,” “I Gotta Crow” and “I’m Flying.”

“If you loved this musical before, you will still see the show that enchanted you, while discovering a ‘Peter Pan’ that everyone can enjoy, without harm, for many years to come,” FastHorse said.

Frankenberg, who gives her age as “in my 30s,” grew up in Oklahoma, descended from ancestors who walked there on the Trail of Tears. She thought she wanted to act in movies as a girl, but her parents were into musical theater.

“I think the first thing I ever saw was ‘Beauty and the Beast’ on national tour in Oklahoma City. I didn’t really understand what a Broadway musical could truly be until I saw that,” she said.

The “Pan” national tour “actually just played Oklahoma City Civic Center last week. So it was this really big, full circle moment for me, and I was on the other side of the proscenium.”

Credit: (Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman)

Credit: (Courtesy of Evan Zimmerman)

She began studying and training in musical theater, and then studied stage combat in college. “I thought that was a really cool avenue for storytelling,” she said. “I love seeing that kind of storytelling done really well on stage, when you see a really cool sword fight.

“There’s a lot of violence in our world. Being a woman, being able to fight is also really important.” She then added harness and aerial skills to her repertoire.

“So when it came to ‘Peter Pan,’ I just so happened to have these skill sets that the show exactly needed.”

So much so that she’s also the flight captain and the fight captain for the tour, meaning the cast member who helps the entire ensemble stay on top of staging and safety during the performance.

Frankenberg and her fiancée, Jon Meyer, an actor who also works behind the scenes, moved to Atlanta two years ago, after COVID-19 “threw us into a vagabond life.” They were doing theater in North Carolina and working with members of Havoc Movement, an Atlanta company that trains actors in stunts and fight techniques, which suggested making the city their base.

“They said, ‘Y’all should come down to Atlanta, make some art with us.’ And we were like, ‘Let’s jump in. Let’s do it.’ And so we packed the van and moved on down.”

Now they live in Hapeville, and when they’re not flying high on the “Peter Pan” national tour (Meyer is Peter’s fly operator), they enjoy hitting the Beltline and paddleboarding in Stone Mountain Park.

On tour, Frankenberg interacts with fans after the show. “People are just really excited about how revised and refreshed it is,” she said. “But you still have the heart of the story, the story of Peter Pan.”

“Peter Pan”

April 29-March 4 at Fox Theatre (presented by Broadway in Atlanta). $40-$159.50. 660 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 855-285-8499. foxtheatre.org