Lauren Keating, Tech Times

All Allison Williams needed Thursday night to get good ratings was faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust. While she took her high notes to new heights, other portions of NBC's "Peter Pan Live!" made some viewers roll their eyes in boredom.

Some of the low points included the distracting tick, tock caused by the croc (we will get into him later) and the fact that the three-hour event was very dragged out. Still, Williams proved she has talent as she sang, danced and flipped in the air, making a handsome boy while doing so. And who couldn't resist Christopher Walken, well, playing Christopher Walken in a pirate costume?


THE BEST MOMENTS:

Williams Soars 

And Williams didn't disappoint. She was able to hit the high notes while soaring high in the air, mastered a British accent, and managed to keep that wig in place. Her most noteworthy moments included flying in for her grand entrance, dancing with her shadows, aerial pirouettes and her "cock a doodle doos" when singing, "I've Gotta Crow." 
A Pirate's Life For Me: Christopher Walken made one interesting Captain Hook. With those high eyebrows and a Cindy Crawford beauty mark, the 71-year-old actor put on quite a performance. Although it seemed he played more Walken than Hook, he talk/sang and tap-danced his way into our hearts. "There's something about him that's sort of sweet," Walken said of his character. And how could we not have a jolly time on board the Jolly Rodger. If Walken is the ship's captain, then yo, ho! A pirate's life for me! 

Take Me To Neverland: NBC really stepped it up this year, having a more elaborate production. Emmy-award winning director Glenn Weiss and the Tony-winning Broadway choreographer Rob Ashford joined forces to bring the classic story to life. Cameras caught multiple angles, even a 360 degree view of the cast dancing in Neverland. With its psychedelic colors, Neverland was a dreamy set. Looking like Candy Land, roses were tree tops and Peter and the Lost Boys lived in a hole that was equipped with a slide and a swing. With mermaids, Tiger Lilly's tribe and of course fairy magic, Neverland was the perfect place to never grow up. 

Party In The Air: Even if Williams stole the show, Taylor Louderman's portrayal of Wendy deserves some recognition. Although she looked like an overgrown child (and what was with that nightgown?), she stayed true to her character, always seen with a dreamy look in her eyes. John and Michael were adorable, especially in the scene where the children learn to fly. It became a party in the air as limbs were thrown around. 

(Side note: Kelli O'Hara and Christian Borle, both Broadway veterans, also put on a great performance. Although she voiced the narrator, Minnie Driver appeared for all of five minutes in the end as the grown-up Wendy, but still looked gorgeous in that pink silk nightgown and blonde bob.)

THE WORST   

Marnie Played Marnie Playing Peter: No matter how hard she tried not to be typecasted, it was hard not to think of Williams as playing Marnie from the HBO series Girls playing Peter Pan. Even though she sang great, had stage presence, mastered her accent and looked the part, some criticized that something was missing. It's hard to erase the image of the 20-something-year-old hipster character from our mind. And we were also very confused as to why her costume included a mesh top when a woman is supposed to play a boy. 

Walken Forgets His Lines: Yes, Walken did the best job he could even though he admitted he was intimated of playing the role. However, there were times when he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. There were also times where he forgot his lines. He uncomfortably blanked out during the "Peter Pan found a mother" line and made us all cringe.

Questionable Costumes: While Tiger Lily's warriors bared their souls out on the dance floor (did anyone else feel like their dance sequence was a Zumba session?) during the song "Ugg-A-Wugg," they also bared lots and lots of skin. Alanna Saunders, who played Tiger Lily, was dressed in a strappy, green getup that was just asking for a wardrobe malfunction. The native men appeared almost naked as well. Wearing shorts that were flesh colored on the thighs. 

Some Twitter users criticized NBC for using "red face" and not awarding the roles of the Indians to Native Americans. Though, Saunders herself is a descendant of the Cherokee bloodline. "Tiger Lily needed to be Native American - that's how Barrie conceived the role," executive producer Neil Meron said.  

Crocodile Tears: Probably the most bizarre aspect of the broadcast was the adaption of the crocodile. What was up with the purple and blue suit? They really had an actor slip into the suit and crawl on the floor for a few seconds. Besides Tinker Bell (who was only a light with no real voice!), the croc is one of Peter Pan's iconic characters. Although we are always chasing time, who would ever be scared enough to run away from this snazzy fella? Seriously this version of the ticking croc had us in tears.  

But no matter how bad viewers thought it was, it was still a huge improvement from last year's "Sound of Music". In fact, #PeterPanLive was trending on Twitter for all three hours of the broadcast. Here are some of the most entertaining tweets.

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Tags: Peter Pan Live NBC Twitter Trending Topics Trending Christmas Allison Williams Christopher Walken Peter Pan musical
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