Originally Published: 2007-11-18

Of all the fairytale plays in the beloved English tradition of the Christmas “panto,” probably none is better loved than Peter Pan. Not only does it have every ingredient of a perfect child’s adventure, from pirates to fairies to mermaids, its lead character can fly! According to tradition, a woman plays Peter, and the last time the show played Toronto, the feisty Sheila McCarthy (Little Mosque on the Prairie) donned the requisite leaf-green tunic.
This time, producer Ross Petty (who always reserves the juicy villain’s part for himself; Captain Hook, in this case), has taken a daring step. Not only is Peter Pan being played by a grownup man, but one who’s never acted in a play before. However, neither flying nor putting together a winning performance should be much of a stretch for this Peter Pan: Canadian skating champion Kurt Browning.
Although he was the first man ever to achieve a quadruple jump in figure skating – which must be about as close to flying as most of us could ever hope to come – Browning admits he’s a little overwhelmed by finding himself onstage in the middle of creating a show.
“I feel as though I’m watching a TV show about how these things are put together... except I have to participate,” says the extremely modest star. He does concede that dancing on solid ground is simpler than doing it on a frozen rink. “With certain moves I’ve worked with choreographers first off-ice, without skates. Then, when I’ve taken them to the ice, I couldn’t do them,” he says. “Things are easier on feet.”
However, he says, there are exceptions to the general rule. “Certain things are easier on skates, because the blades move you. Now, I have to keep getting my speed back every time.” On the other hand, learning the script isn’t a big challenge. “The lines themselves are not going to be as much of a problem as I thought. Except I have a newborn baby boy and a four-year-old son, so I have a hard time finding quiet time to study,” he says.
“This is, as far as I’m concerned, related to skating in a way, because I’m working with an audience like I do when I skate, and over the years I’ve been handed a microphone over and over, so talking in front of an audience is something I’ve grown into and I enjoy,” Browning continues.

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