Opening night was marked by a nearly full house, an announcement that closed-circuit viewing was available for patrons who might become "fussy or restless," and at least one pair of pint-sized patrons decked out in full fairy and pirate regalia.

The occasion, none other than James M. Barrie's "Peter Pan," also known as "The Boy Who Never Grew Up," fourth and last of the season's productions aimed to please audiences ages 4 and up.

With three acts, two intermissions, and a running time of more than two hours, this is a full-fledged production that takes no shortcuts. Boys and girls and children of all ages were fully captivated, not only by the classic tale of the boy who refused to grow up, but by the fairy dust, the flying cast members--sometimes four at a time--a larger than life-sized family dog (who also serves as the children's nurse) and a ticking, man-eating crocodile.

"It's so suspenseful," one young viewer exclaimed as the lights came up for the second intermission. Many of his peers might have agreed if they had not been so completely engaged by the pirates and Indians and the other denizens of Neverland. Peter Pan is intriguing on so many levels.

Take the Darling household. Mr. Darling is a sometimes stern disciplinarian, who nevertheless refuses to take his own medicine and tolerates his children being raised by a dog! Peter Pan must weigh the benefits of remaining forever a boy and giving up the very relationships that define boyhood (friends, family), or sacrificing eternal youth to explore his growing attraction to Wendy Darling.

Christine Schneider, as Wendy, deftly straddles the line between fantasy and reality. Little R. Cooper Timberline, a real life first-grader, is adorable as her footie-pajama clad younger brother, Michael. On first impression, Theatre IV veteran Ford Flannagan seemed a bit, well, long in the tooth, for the role of Peter Pan, but his unbridled energy and enthusiasm for the role, which he is reprising for the third time--green tights, arms akimbo, fairy dust and all -- helped us to willingly suspend reality.

Robert Throckmorton, by tradition, plays the roles of both the conservative Mr. Darling and the outrageous Captain Hook, whose bouts of deep thought are always accompanied by music. A tango and a tarantella proved helpful in advancing him toward the goal of becoming "the greatest villain of all time." The two characters are played so differently, it's easy to forget Throckmorton is immersed in both.

When it comes down to it, it's the simple things in life that count: a mother, some pockets, and the opportunity to hear a few good stories.