Peter Pan

It could be said that this is the first seasonal offering, particularly as there were several children in the audience.  However, this version of the tale is not a pantomime and AD’s Heather and Emma, avoided giving that impression, perhaps to the detriment of the overall performance.  The music, by Stiles and Drew is an acquired taste, not to mine but very complex and very well performed.  Just because I am not enamoured with the music doesn’t mean that I do not appreciate the performances produced by the cast.  I certainly did!

Ewan Dunlop played Peter Pan well, although I would have liked to see a bit more ‘childlike’ quality in his characterisation.  Jonny Buxton played Mr Darling & Captain Hook; it is traditional that the same actor plays both characters and Jonny’s Hook was good; dastardly, comical and slightly over the top.  Although there was room for more and I do wonder if he was constrained by the direction.  If so, it was a shame.   His portrayal of Mr Darling was, perhaps, a little too soft.  However, the dialogue of the character did seem to dictate the interpretation required.

Emma Howell played Wendy very well, and John Staines (John) and George Rowe (Michael) played their characters well too.  Millie Gallagher played Tinkerbell beautifully.  Every expression, action and attitude showing the character.  Les Cannon, as always, delivered his character, Smee, with great comedy timing and his byplay with the rope and knots was a delight, if a bit distracting!

Suzanne Walters was the storyteller and, only at the end, did we get the connection.  Samantha Coles (Mrs Darling) and Maddy Lahna (Tiger Lily) completed the Principals line-up, both producing good characters.

I liked the way the Lost Boys were played by the younger members of the company and the Pirates generally, by the more mature.  I really wasn’t sure if it would work with adults playing the Lost Boys, but it did.  Every one of them had their own character which, it was clear, they had worked hard to develop.  The pirates also had their own characters and I would congratulate the whole cast on working to create these.  They were obviously having a blast doing this show, which was great to see.

Overall, I thought that the direction was lacklustre.  A lot of the blocking seemed to be unfinished and there were plenty of opportunities for more comedy which were, sadly, missed.  The cast worked hard but there just wasn’t that spark that you would want to see in a production of Peter Pan. The choreography was a bit staid and messy, I am sure that many members of the cast were capable of more challenging movements.  My overall impression was that the show could have done with a few more weeks polish.

I was surprised to see the Storyteller take centre stage for a lot of her dialogue, this also caused a break, slowing the pace.  I also would have liked to see more relationship with the audience before we got to Tinkerbell’s death scene.  Asking the audience to applaud at that point is, obviously, in the story but with no previous relationship between Peter and the audience, it seemed a bit random.

The set was simple; shame there was no actual flying but the cost of this is so prohibitive now, that it makes complete sense to find an alternative.  In this instance, the alternative worked well and, coupled with the projected back cloth we did get the sense that they were flying.  The only real glitch was when the ‘Wendy Bird’ was shot down.  That just didn’t work and there was a bit of laughter and some comments from the audience. 

The use of projected back cloths is becoming more acceptable now and the slides, that were used, were well designed and executed.   The scene changes were done in full light and there was little subtlety about it.  Cast and crew just walked on and off with the pieces which tended to break up the flow of the performance.  I must also comment about the boat that the pirates brought on in one scene.  Two pieces of wood with a visible hinge does not make even a rudimentary version of a small boat.  Far better not to have had it at all.

I was disappointed by the lighting, especially the spot lights.  A hard edge was used for all the spots.  Whilst this would be right for Tinkerbell, who is supposed to be encased in a globe of light, I would have liked to see most of the other spots with a softer, more flattering edge.  I suspect that the spot operator was fairly new as the spot lights were not held in place as they should have been and that, in itself, was distracting.    It is the subtleties like this that seemed to be missing from this production.

The costumes were a bit of a mix, neither fully traditional not fully ‘modern’.  I am not sure about all the Lost Boys being in pyjamas.  I would have thought that they were supposed to blend in with the jungle so that they could move round without being spotted.    Michael and John were, of course, supposed to be in their PJ’s but I didn’t see the point for the rest of them.   I also think it was a shame to depart from the traditional ‘look’ for Peter to be in green.  Hook’s black coat was often lost against the black background which didn’t give the full effect.  Tinkerbells dress was not flattering at all, Millie deserved better.

For me the music was not very memorable, although I do appreciate the technicality of it.  The band had a good sound, under the direction of MD Andrew Walters, although on occasions they did tend to drown out the dialogue.  I think that was more about getting a good balance than anything else!

The pace of the show slipped towards the end of each act possibly due to the ‘wordiness’ of the script and the blocking rather than anything to do with the performers.  Overall a good evening’s entertainment, appreciated by the audience who were prepared to be entertained. I am not sure that the children who were watching caught the magic of it all.

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