Timing can be everything in theater and some say there are no coincidences.Coinciding with this period when the USA is approaching a new relationship with Cuba and discussion of immigration is hot and heavy in the air comes the musical Pedro Pan. It’s an engaging, unpretentious musical about the actual Operation Pedro Pan, a fascinating under-the-radar program in the very early 1960s, coordinated by Catholic Charities at the request of Cuban parents — to fly their children, unescorted, to America.  Some, like the young hero of our story (Pedro), had relatives in the U.S. who took care of them, while others came under the wing of the church.  The husband and wife team of Rebecca Aparicio (script and direction, also earnestly playing the role of Pedro’s mom) and Stephen Anthony Elkins (music and lyrics) bring us a touching story of separation and kids trying to fit in.

The connections to the character of Peter Pan are everywhere — it’s the boy’s favorite story, the book is taken from him by guards at the airport, his name is Pedro, he joins a club at his New York City school called The Lost Boys, and makes a new friend named Wendy. She is a black girl from Alabama who has moved up north to escape the relatively stronger racial prejudices there in the era of segregation. Destinee Rea plays this role with great charm and a knockout voice. The adolescents are played by actors clearly older, which can be a tricky casting choice, but she makes it work. Her wide-eyed, positive energy glows and her character grows, commiserating with and supporting Pedro (a likeable Luis E. Mora). Rejected at school for being a foreigner who at first only knows a bit of English, he struggles with loneliness and fear as well as the choice between embracing his heritage or rejecting it to fit in. At one point, he insists on being called Peter and not wanting to use Spanish or teach it to Wendy at her request.

Although things are simplified and messages and points of view are telegraphed in this short musical aimed (perhaps mainly) at a children’s audience, things veer from being mega-cozy or mega-rosy. But don’t expect a lot of depth here. Mora, dressed in short pants and knee socks, sometimes switches gears in an eye-blink back-and-forth-and-back-and-forth-again from glum to bright-eyed perky, in reactions. Too many scenes consist of him entering the apartment of his unmarried aunt, who’s caring for him, as she asks, “How was your day?” and she tries to put the best spin on things, offering optimism and supportive company. His parents, in the pre-flight scene and later in letters, sing their pleas for him to be strong, brave and patient.  In these homes of no range, seldom is heard a discouraging word, but the skies seem cloudy all day at school, in scenes largely unseen, but Wendy and a boy who learned the same ropes earlier help tremendously. For the audience, the songs help enormously to enliven the action and bring smiles, especially when Miss Rea participates.

The show engenders goodwill and is effective in putting a face on the problems “outsiders” feel when bullied or feeling isolated and unwelcomed. Thus, it earns major points as an entertaining vehicle for making kids see the hurt that can be caused, how being friendly and accepting makes all the difference — and for those who may be struggling with not fitting it, it shows them that they are not alone in having such problems. Also to its considerable credit, the play finds a way to say that reinventing yourself to fit in and please others comes with a price to pay, too.

Without sugar-coating things completely, the musical is sweet, life-affirming, and presents perhaps the most valuable commodity in a life full of challenges — something called hope.

The Fringe Festival’s offerings can all be found at www.fringenyc.org, including ticket information on the almost 200 shows and those receiving additional performances by popular demand.