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Peter Pan

Author: Kei Bailey

Information

Date
8th December 2024
Society
South Kesteven Acting and Musical Players
Venue
Bourne Corn Exchange
Type of Production
Pantomime
Director
Joanne Henderson
Choreographer
Joanne Henderson and Zoe Darby
Producer
Jason Wilson
Written By
Alex Jackson

This was my first pantomime of the season and what a treat! Swashbuckling sword fights, big musical numbers, outrageous characters, colourful costumes, pirates, mermaids, a crocodile, and all garnished with a liberal sprinkling of fairy dust. The panto version of Peter Pan is loosely based on the famous book, and stage play, written by J.M. Barrie and follows the adventures of Peter and his new friends, the Darling children, in the magical realm of Neverland.

Flying into this production with unyielding enthusiasm and vivacity was Lydia Henderson as the boy who never grows up. I like to see the panto tradition of a female actor in the role of principal boy celebrated and Lydia was a lovely example. She had great stage presence, striking the legendary Peter Pan pose to perfection every time she entered. Her singing voice was pretty and pleasant to listen to, her diction was sharp, and her characterisation was well-observed. The rapport she had with Tegan Wyche who played Wendy was good and gave their relationship real heart. In fact, Tegan was a joy to watch throughout the whole show. Her Wendy was feisty and strong, and she commanded the stage in all her scenes, playing them with truth and dynamism. A superb performance.

Another tradition I like to see honoured is that of the pantomime dame being played by a male actor, and Phil Briston as Nanny McSmee did not disappoint. From his very first entrance, I could feel the audience warm to Phil and his many scenes were certainly a highlight. He was a gentle dame with a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous manner and his skilled adlibs and asides to the audience were often laugh out loud funny. He brought an enviable energy and pace to the stage which drove the narrative forward superbly and his irrepressible flirtations with Captain Hook (her Hookie-Wookie) were a delight.

More comedy was provided by Simon Sleight as Nanny’s son, McSmee Junior, whose pirate drawl and unwavering smile made him another audience favourite. Good comic timing was evident in his delivery of gags, and he worked well with the three other incompetent pirates, Starkey, Snarly and Snarky, played respectively by Andrew Tiplady, Jason Wilson and Christine Weldrake. Their funny stage business was fun to watch, and their enthusiasm didn’t drop once which helped keep the younger audience members engaged.

Every pantomime needs a good baddie, and in Peter Pan this comes in the form of Captain Hook, a role played by Stuart Giddings in this version. With his cut-glass accent and neatly coiffured moustache, Stuart played Hook as a gentlemanly rogue and his diction and articulation were excellent. However, there were times I would have liked to have seen him relish his wickedness a little more. The audience love to hate a villain, and sometimes it was difficult to hate Stuart as Hook because he was just a bit too ‘nice’. Having said that, his scenes with Nanny were show-stealers and very funny indeed – his looks of sheer panic at her advances were priceless.

Rowena Roberts took the role of Tinkerbell but sadly was unable to provide the vocals due to a nasty bout of laryngitis. Her speaking voice was supplied by the director and her beautifully melodic singing voice was actually that of Tegan Wyche. Rowena did an incredible job of miming to both voices with skilful precision, and her physicality, gestures and facial expressions spoke volumes. Tracy Hulme gave a lovely comic cameo performance as Myrtle the Mermaid with an impeccable German accent and wonderful sassiness. William Hulme and Mason Wyche as John and Michael, Wendy’s two brothers, both had good diction and intonation, and displayed great promise for larger roles in the future.

Director, Joanne Henderson should be congratulated for enabling her cast to shine so brightly on the stage. When I met her at the interval, she was obviously passionate about theatre and her enjoyment of the uniquely British genre of pantomime was very evident. With an adult cast of twelve and twenty-four junior performers, I’d like to commend Joanne for undertaking this ambitious production, it’s not easy organising such a large team of actors and dancers. The musical numbers, choreographed by Joanne herself ad Zoe Darby, were particularly memorable, and it was wonderful to see everyone enjoying themselves as they performed.

The limited scenery and set dressing that was used served to provide interest and create ambience, and I loved the scene where all the pirates entered to music to create the ‘ship’ in front of our eyes. This was very clever and well-executed. However, there were moments when the set felt a little stark and colourless. I appreciate there might be constraints associated with the stage and budget, but a pantomime needs vibrancy and colour, something the black back curtains couldn’t offer.

Generally, the lighting was very good and used effectively to enhance scenes and musical numbers, and the cues were sharp and well-timed, as were the sound effects which were high-quality (apart from Mr Darling’s voice which was too tinny and echoey). The music was well-balanced with the singing voices.

It is a mammoth feat to costume such a large cast, and on the whole, the outfits were bright, colourful and complimented the actors’ characterisations. I thought Peter Pan’s costume was particularly good and there were some fun ideas in Nanny’s outfits – the sandcastle bucket on her first wig was great fun. Personally, though, I would have liked to have seen more outfits for the dame but, again, budget may not have allowed for this.

Overall, this was a fun-filled pantomime with many entertaining moments, and I’d like to pass on my hearty congratulations to Joanne, her production assistant, Jason Wilson, and stage manager, David Weldrake, and his team. This was ‘an awfully big adventure’, and a prime example of what community theatre should be about. The cast were clearly having a whale of a time and there was a tangible feeling that the team who brought you SKAMP’s Peter Pan pantomime was a very happy team indeed.

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