"Girls" Star Allison Williams Cast as Peter Pan in NBC's Live Production

[JamesG]

Allison Williams to Play Peter Pan in NBC's Live Production
July 30, 2014
by Sadie Gennis


This is what happens when Kristen Bell is busy. "Girls" star Allison Williams has been cast in the title role of NBC's Peter Pan Live!, the network announced Wednesday.

In addition to Williams singing talent, which showcases at every opportunity on "Girls", expect to see Williams to exhibit some truly "dynamic flying" in the Dec. 4 telecast, according to the announcement.





"Allison Williams is a major find," executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement.

"She will reinvent the iconic role of Peter Pan with her wit, her warmth, her dynamic flying and her wonderful musical abilities. The score will be sung beautifully and introduced to a whole new generation of families."

NBC's chairman Robert Greenblatt added that Williams "will bring the perfect blend of 'boyish' vulnerability and bravado to save the day against Christopher Walken's powerful Captain Hook."





"I have wanted to play Peter Pan since I was about three years old, so this is a dream come true," Williams said.

"It's such an honor to be a part of this adventure, and I'm very excited to get to work with this extraordinarily talented team. What could go wrong in a live televised production with simultaneous flying, sword fighting and singing?"

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Allison-...C-1085076.aspx

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...peter-pan.html

Marnie may be the worst character on “Girls,” but the real-life Williams is pretty good singer. PLUS: Lena Dunham predicts “she will slay,” and see Williams dressed as Peter Pan — as a child.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#1VgyoCDyE4OFP0WD.99

[JamesG]

Brian Williams Reports on Daughter Allison Williams Being Cast as Peter Pan in NBC's Live Musical (VIDEO)
by Meg Wagner
July 31, 2014


Brian Williams can't wait to see his little girl fly. On Wednesday, NBC announced "Girls" star Allison Williams will lead its Peter Pan Live! cast.

That evening, her proud dad, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams, reported the news.

"Family members confirm she's been rehearsing for this role since the age of three, and they look forward to seeing her fly," he said as he shared a childhood photo of the actress, decked out in a tot-sized Peter Pan costume.



The 26-year-old will share the screen with Christopher Walken, who will play the villainous Captain Hook.

The musical is set to air Dec. 4.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1886673

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http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/07/31/al...r-pan-defense/

Is the “Girls” and “Peter Pan Live” star too closely identified with Marnie?
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#4sLVKI4LDJ25cWF3.99

[JamesG]

See First Photo of Allison Williams as Peter Pan
The Huffington Post | by Jessica Goodman
9/3/14


She's off to Neverland. NBC released the first photo of Allison Williams in costume as Peter Pan from Peter Pan Live, which will broadcast on the network on Dec. 4.

The "Today" show tweeted the pic, which shows Williams in a cropped wig, a torn green suit, some mesh and brown boots.



Williams also posted the photo to her Instagram account and said:

"Fun fact: I was all ready to cut my hair, then was told by the folks who actually know what they're doing that a wig works better for everybody. So, December 4th, here we come. #wiglife #peterpanlive #nbc"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0..._5758246.html?

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/...t-time/2209098

Next time, NBC should seek out Broadway actors and cut down on the three-hour running time so kids can watch. "Don’t cast a rather inexperienced TV actor and a 70-year-old movie legend to be the two major stars of your big theatrical production,” says Michelle Stark/ "Allison Williams is a fine actor with a fine voice, but she’s all wrong for the part of Peter Pan. First of all, she’s not a boy. Duh. Second, she’s not theater-y enough. You need someone who can sell the camp and whimsy of a story like Peter Pan. Someone who can make the audience clap for a tiny ball of light. Williams gave it her all, and that's commendable, but playing Peter Pan, with the accent and the tights and the flying, is a tall order, and she just wasn’t up to it. She was awkward, unconvincing and far too bland to carry the show.” PLUS: Ratings fell off as the night went on -- were kids falling asleep to blame?, “Peter Pan Live!” was mediocre, bland, depressingly safe, the 5 worst moments, Williams couldn’t find the conviction necessary to carry the show, and “Peter Pan Live!” was never meant to be enjoyed.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#Ri9ZZQilObFD79Dv.99

[JamesG]

NBC has a Theory why Peter Pan Live! Flopped (And It's Not Their Fault)
by Natalie Abrams
Jan 16, 2015


NBC’s second attempt at a live production fell far from what was expected of it.

Though "Girls" star Allison Williams as Peter Pan drew better reviews than "American Idol" alum Carrie Underwood as Maria in The Sound of Music, Peter Pan Live! paled in comparison when it came to the ratings.

The three-hour musical drew 9.1 million viewers and a 2.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, down 51 percent from Sound of Music, which brought in a whopping 18.5 million viewers and a 4.6, making it one of the network’s biggest Thursday nights since "ER" went off the air.





“In spite of the fact that there was a lot of critical negativity, I think Carrie Underwood was an enormous amount of draw for The Sound of Music,” NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s winter TV previews.

“That kind of big star helped bring a bigger audience, and it was the first one, and The Sound of Music was a classic, also. Peter Pan’s not as well known as a show. It’s a known fairy tale, but not as well-known a show. We didn’t have stars that were as big as Carrie. I loved what Christopher Walken and what Allison Williams did, but I think stars would bring a bigger number.”





Still, NBC won’t balk at what Peter Pan Live! did for the network, as they are already considering next year’s production, which is a toss up between The Music Man and The Wiz.

“Look, 10 million viewers on a Thursday night for a musical that’s 60 years old is great,” Greenblatt said. “We have no regrets about it.”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/16/nb...-ratings-fail/

[JamesG]

Allison Williams Says Peter Pan Performance Scored her Get Out Role
by Peter White
November 23, 2017


"Girls" star Allison Williams claimed that she secured her role in horror breakout Get Out thanks to her performance in NBC’s "Peter Pan Live!".

Williams played the eponymous role in the 2014 live television special and told "The Tonight Show‘s" Jimmy Fallon that it was this performance that convinced Jordan Peele to cast her in his Blumhouse-produced horror film, which scored global box office of $254M on a $4.5M budget.

“Jordan cast me because of Peter Pan. He was like, ‘If she could fly on live television for three hours with Christopher Walken walking around beneath her, she’ll do anything.’ He wasn’t wrong. He said, ‘She’s got this innocence, she played Peter Pan, We need someone who immediately the audience trusts because the movie just gets going and you have to be on her side’,” she said.





Williams was promoting the home entertainment release of Get Out, which she described as Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner with “some weird stuff happening.”

“Jordan is an obsessive fan of horror and more genre movies and then he is also brilliant at comedy — he can flip these switches,” she added.

http://deadline.com/2017/11/allison-...le-1202214207/