Review of Peter Pan ThreeSixty at Tysons Corner

by Melissa Moore

On July 1st my family made the short, convenient drive to Tysons Corner Center to experience Peter Pan in Threesixty Theatre. In its Washington area premiere, this innovative theatrical performance utilizes stage, sky, and screen to retell the familiar childhood tale of Pater Pan. While most of the story is told through dialogue, there is a bit of music, acrobatics and puppetry thrown-in that will keep the kids on the edge of their seats.

The unique three sixty staging affords endless opportunities for creativity. Flight, the hallmark of a Peter Pan stage production, is immersive and thrilling. As my five year old son watched John, Wendy, Michael, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell fly off into the sunset he exclaimed in an excited whisper, “When do we get a turn?”

The age recommendation given by the theater is five years old and up. I heartily agree with this recommendation due to the many fight scenes and loud noises that mark the performance from beginning to end.  Captain Hook is no cartoon caricature in this rendition of Peter Pan — he’s a living, breathing, somewhat scary pirate who often does not say the nicest things. My reptile-loving son stared wide-eyed in amazement as Tick-Tock the crocodile made his first appearance on the stage, but I saw a few parents with toddlers exiting the theater in order to calm down their little ones after that particular scene.

From mermaids to crocodiles, both my five year old boy and six year old girl enjoyed every minute of the show. When I asked my kindergartner about her favorite part, she enthusiastically responded the “the beginning, middle and the end!”  When it came time for the curtain call, I reminded my kids, as I always do, to clap if they enjoyed the show. Both my sleepy children, awake past their bedtime, perked up, sat straight up in their seats and began applauding and cheering enthusiastically with the crowd.


What you need to know if you’re going to see the show:

• Due to the lighting and the digital screen, the theater never gets particularly dark. This is perfect for parents of younger children! I had the privilege of watching my children’s faces light up as they watched the intricately choreographed fight scenes between the pirates and lost boys.

• Parking is free at Tysons Corner Center. Park close to the street at the top of Parking Lot A (by Macys and the American Girl Store) for a 5-10 minute walk to the theater. There were police directing traffic the night of our performance. Due to the smaller size of the theater, we had no problem whatsoever leaving the theater and parking lot after the show.

• With great stadium seating, children will be able to see the stage easily from practically any seat in the theatre.  However, some seats are better than others.  We had amazing seats for viewing the performance!  Our seats were located directly across from the stage entrance about mid-way up the viewing platform.  As the characters flew over London, it felt as if we were flying with them.  The least desirable seats are in the very front; small children may have difficulty seeing the stage from those seats.

• Interesting fact:  400 square miles of virtual London were rendered for the scenes of Peter and the children flying over London, and 100 computers took four weeks to create the images. What that all means is that the flight scenes with a backdrop of London are simply amazing

Ticket Information:  Tickets for PETER PAN in the Threesixty Theatre are on sale now. Prices start at $25 for weekday performances and at $35 for weekend performances. Premium and VIP ticket packages are available. Tickets are available for purchase on site at the Threesixty Theatre box office, online at peterpan360.com or Ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster retail location, or by calling (800) 745-3000. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling (877) 407-8497. For more information, visit peterpan360.com.



Disclosure: The author’s family was provided with four complimentary tickets to Peter Pan in Threesixty Theatre at Tysons Corner Center. All opinions are entirely her own.  For more family travel adventures, follow the author, Melissa Moore, on Twitter and Instagram as @DCTravelMom