Chandler High School Theater’s annual fall play, Lost Girl, offered audiences an intriguing twist on a classic tale, performed at the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Bogle Theater on September 11-13, 2024.
Lost Girl, a play by Kimberly Belflower, follows the story of Wendy Darling, one-time companion of everyone’s favorite flying boy, Peter Pan. With the help of other lost boys and lost girls, Wendy figures out life after Peter and after Neverland, while also dealing with “real world” problems like her complicated health and relationships. In Chandler High School’s production, the cast portrayed wonderful and sincere performances, displaying emotions that sparked across the theater. The crew also did a phenomenal job with the costumes that felt perfectly matched to the characters on stage.
Hailey Laidig, who played the central character Wendy Darling, said Belflower’s powerful story was emotionally moving for her and many of the cast and crew. “It’s a really emotional time for a lot of us,” said Laidig. “It’s really helped me heal.”
Zaire Brown, who portrayed Peter Pan, was also grateful for an experienced and dedicated director in CHS Drama teacher, Ms. Stephanie Likes. “The play was really insane. You could write the greatest thing on earth, but without the directors to actually put it on stage… You have to give all the credits to Ms. Likes,” Brown insisted.
Costume manager Tori Boyd expressed fondness for her fellow cast and crew, saying they were “so fun and so sweet, and really nice.”
Overall, Lost Girl was a memorable and moving experience. We are grateful for being able to watch this performance and see a wonderful story being acted out in such a good way by talented actors and crew.
