Their 25-year-old son, Ryan, has been playing Nana, the Darling family's English sheepdog.

• NATHAN BALSER, a native Utahn who was performing with his wife Suzy in the Las Vegas edition of "Mamma Mia!" joined the "Peter Pan" tour about a year ago.

"Our last stop (before the summer break) was in Charlotte, N.C.," Balser said, "and we knew we were losing a couple of the Lost Boys and one of the pirates, but at that point, Howard McGillin indicated he was coming back as Captain Hook." But it wasn't long before McGillin left the show.

Asked if he could take over the role, Balser was quick to reply, "I'm not old enough or tall enough" to play Hook. So he retains the role of Noodler.

Interviewed by phone from his home in Las Vegas, Balser said that he and his wife are considering a move to New York City to explore "some opportunities there that have not been tapped." "Being separated (while he's on tour and Suzy is still in 'Mamma Mia!') is hard for both of us, because we're really good friends and close to each other. But it's harder for her because she's at home alone every day doing the same job in the same city, while I always have a new place to get used to."

Balser said the audiences for "Peter Pan" "have been really great. You get a sense of the general overall personality of the country

"In the Northwest and up north in the Midwest, they're a little more reserved, but on the West and East Coasts, they're more responsive and crazy. Peter and Hook are the only characters who break the 'fourth wall' and talk directly to the audience."

He added, "Cathy Rigby blows me away. It's such a physical role, and she gives 120 percent. She's an inspiration to all of us and I can't even imagine the demands."

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E-mail: ivan@desnews.com