A playful version of "Peter Pan" opened at the Succop Theater at the Butler County Community College Thursday evening. The Butler Summer Dramatics production quite capably harnessed the energy of the 80 or so cast members and had everything organized for opening night.

As has been the case for years with "Peter Pan," a female plays the lead role, and Logan Olszewski did a commendable job. The person sitting next to me was unaware initially that there was a female playing the part until the first high note.

Olszewski appeared to be having a blast with the role and that enthusiasm was conveyed to the audience. Though at times she seemed somewhat breathy or breathless, her vocal range was exhibited quite well in the "Mysterious Lady Scene."

Personally I've always thought the stage version of the show was a bit cheesy and tough to pull off in community theater, but the Summer Dramatics cast and crew did pull it off and did a swell job with it, too.

Tory Mysliwiec was great as Wendy Darling, quite capably shifting from girl in nursery to mother in Neverland. Her brothers, played by Nick Benninger and Derek Gieraltowski, were some sweet siblings who seemed comfortable in their roles.

The only awkward spot appeared to be during the dialogue before the Darling children walked the plank. I was a bit confused about the exchange between Hook and John.

Hook and Smee were quite a delightful pair. Brady Patsy and Justin 'Bud' Anderson had fabulous timing and chemistry. Patsy's voice, as always, was amazing but it was the physical comedy that enabled him to shine.

The Lost Boys and the Indians were a mob of cuteness. The Pirates were a band of zany entertaining characters.

Whitney Angeloni was close to perfect as Tiger Lily. The fun Indian dances were well executed and enjoyable.

The battle scenes were a bit less spectacular than the last time Summer Dramatics performed "Peter Pan" in 2004, but the results were the same. The audience seemed to love Nana the dog, but I seem to recall a fluffier costume in that role last time and a bit more personality.

The musical runs throughout the weekend, and seating is limited.