Peter Pan Live Panned

What looked promising quickly sunk into the depths of disappointment.

I was looking forward to last night's broadcast of "Peter Pan Live." I really was. I remember seeing it as a stage play when I was growing up and have a few memories of Mary Martin playing Peter Pan on TV.

I was also curious to see how Allison Williams (daughter of NBC News anchor Brian Williams) handled the musical numbers, as many of the teaser commercials failed to include that aspect of this "musical" production. That led to rumors that she couldn't sing.

All of my (somewhat high) expectations were dashed in the first 10 minutes. That's when I noticed the actors were lip-synching to a music track, likely recorded in a studio (not even in a rehearsal, I'm guessing). What a major fail. No wonder NBC didn't put a "live" bug in the corner like it did during the "Sound of Music" last year.

So what did others think of this $10 million production that included 46 cast members and a few of 350?

Here are some of the headlines this morning:

• Peter Pan Live! Review: No Amount of Clapping Brings It to Life
• Peter Pan Live Was the Worst Three-Hour Drag Show We've Ever Seen
• 'Peter Pan Live!' musical fails to take flight

So I wasn't the only one who suffered through the three-hour – yes, it was three hours – production that seemingly included the same set of commercials every half hour.

I don't know if I can stomach another live musical and its pre-broadcast hype. Let's just end it with Tinkerbell and her glorious exit:

When Live TV Goes Bad

Christopher Walken looks like he's already two sheets to the wind in rehearsal.

I don't know if anything is going to go wrong during tonight's live broadcast of "Peter Pan" on NBC. But it could. And for sure, that's why I will be tuning in.

The prospect of a flub-up or other faux pas like a blown line, microphone malfunctions, some off-key singing, etc., is why I love live television. The big awards shows are live. But networks typically  put them on a delay for censorship purposes. I haven't heard if that's the case for this show, but regardless, slip-ups are possible.

Last year, NBC’s live performance of “The Sound of Music” attracted 22 million viewers. I was watching on my way back from a training camp in Salt Lake City – on a Frontier flight out of Denver. (I wish more airlines would offer live TV, but that's another post.) “Peter Pan Live!” has been promised to be "a glitzier and more expensive show." Peter will be played by Allison Williams (better known as the daughter of NBC News anchor Brian Williams) and Oscar winner Christopher Walken will play Captain Hook.

The original "Peter Pan" TV broadcast was also on NBC – way back in 1955. It starred Tony Award winners Mary Martin (Peter Pan) and Cyril Ritchard (Captain Hook). The production was so popular that NBC followed it up with a second live telecast (watch a clip on YouTube here) the following year.

Most memorable for me in "The Sound of Music" broadcast on NBC last year was Audra McDonald belting out "Climb Every Mountain."