Peter Pan

Peter Pan... a pantomime staged by All Souls Dramatic Club at The Atkinson Theatre, Lord Street, Southport on Thursday, 22nd January 2026

I think we all have knowledge of the original JM Barries story of Peter Pan which follows Peter, a mischievous boy who can fly and who refuses to grow up! He leads the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael from their nursery in London to the magical island of Neverland where they meet the Lost Boys, Indians, Tinkerbell, some pesky pirates and the villainous Captain James Hook. Tonight’s adaptation of the story was penned by the ever so talented Cliff Gillies. As with all Cliff’s pantomimes, twists and turns are always a feature, mix that up with many meaningful facts, some amazing truths and this year, some tear-shedding realisations!

The Production Team ... as stated above ... this adaptation of the classic panto had been penned by Cliff Gillies! Cliff not only wrote the narrative, he Directed the production whilst taking on a lead role … one of those jobs is hard enough, let alone three!  Cliff was assisted by two more incredibly talented guys ... Chris Rimmer (MD), (who was himself assisted by Adam & Paul Dutch) and making his All Souls debut, was the very talented Ben Musa (Choreographer)... and what a great job they made of this production. A skilled and experienced cast had been assembled who with energy and enthusiasm brought their individual character to life, whilst contributing to the whole and making this panto the success that it was. Musical numbers were well chosen and delivered with effortless ease by those involved. The choreography, which is always to the fore here at All Souls, had a slightly new feel to it and it was obvious from the start that Ben had stamped his own style and interpretation on the routines, which, after speaking with members of the cast post show, was thoroughly enjoyed! Fabulous pantomime… congrats!  

The Cast... putting ‘meat on the bones’ of this truly inspiring and thought provoking script was:
Alex McKillop - Peter Pan; Kayleigh Ginley - Wendy Darling; Isabelle Culshaw - Michael Darling; 
Darren Musa – John Darling; Amelia Moran – Tinkerbell; Alan Casserley – Capt. James Hook;
Hayley Jones – Smee; Cliff Gillies - Dame Sally Staines; Joanne Wasilew – Klein;
Jen Johnson – Calvin; Chris Gerring – Big Chief/Mr Darling; Phoebe Hill – Tigerlilly;
Kelly Anderson – Shy-Ann; Summer Molyneux – Sioux; John King – Garmin;
Katie Palfrey – Tom Tom; Megan Price Mawdsley – Dav; Tom Avann – JB;
Tracey Holmes Smith – Mrs Darling; Sue Hardiker – Grandma; John Hardiker – Grandad;
Ensemble... Stephanie Brittain; Clare Haworth; Katie Allen; Vicky Snape; Melissa Bennett; Jenny Roby: Abbie Sumner; Emma Wood & Ana Woodward.
Dancers: Elodie Rollins, Chloe Judd, Beth Fenny, Lauren Brown, Sophie Watkinson & Sophie Horne.
So Talented Junior Dancers... Lily Grace Faulkner, Pearle Johnson; Bryony Jones; Niamh Tolson, Grace Hudson & Thea Shawcroft (Grace & Thea played Child 1 & 2 and played them very well).  

As most will know... this is where the ‘old neck’ gets put on the block and I start to suggest MY Showstealer and favourite characters, but once in a while, suggesting someone was better than someone else can be harsh, especially when you know and you’ve seen that everyone on stage had just given their all! For me, the success of the production wasn’t down to an individual, but to a ‘team’ coming together as one! The Principals were individually fabulous yet came together as one, the Ensemble plus the Young Dancers from the ‘So Talented Academy’ complimented and supported their principals ever so well with energy, confidence and enthusiasm; but, after saying all that, I do feel it would be remiss of me not to make ‘special mention’ of two people ... the first one being Amelia Moran who took on the role of ‘Tinkerbell’... a role she just made her own and an absolute joy to watch! Confident, self-assured, she was just a perfect fit for this role! Amelia, for most of this production used ‘sign language’ to communicate; which looked and felt authentic, which I wasn’t sure if that was the case until post show meet, I was told that she was self-taught just for this production which was ever so impressive! The ‘signing’ along with her mannerisms and facial expressions worked ever so well, I just felt I knew and understood everything she said (I was gutted when she actually spoke and sung in Act 2), but please don’t think that took anything away from her performance which was perfect! My second choice may not be on everyone’s radar... Chris Gerring.  Chris took on two roles... ‘Big Chief’, leader of the Indians which he did very well with, but the role I loved was when he portrayed Mr Darling in Act 2. The monologue, for want of a better description, he gave, (alright scripted), about parents and how they want to keep their children young for as long as possible, about kindness, about belonging and other relative inclusions about family and children was delivered ‘masterfully’; wonderful diction, articulation with passion and clarity... it had me and many others, with tears in our eyes and lumps in our throat... be very proud Chris! If you’re one of the thirty-four cast members ... be very proud of what you ALL helped create!    

Staging/Tech ... flying, great projection, lighting and sound all enhanced this outstanding production. A basic set, with rostra set at various heights/levels (some with band members sat on throughout). Treads were used to access to the various levels which allowed free movement across the entire stage.  Great exit and entrances points allowed the panto to flow with ease. Ed McKillop (Stage Manager) was in charge on stage. A large Tech/Design Team were involved that included... Sam Hemingway, Sam Robinson, Matt Hughes, Scott Mackin, Lewis Hawksey, Gemma Briscoe, James Donnelly, Chloe Davies, Si Farell, Mark Dean and Tom Schofield. Overseeing Sound & Video Design was Matt Hughes with Lighting Designed by Sam Hemmingway. Well, done one and all... it all worked well and looked fabulous (only one or two blinding ‘stage lights’ that I needed to dodge ahahahah)!

The Band... great sound, great support! Loved the way all band members were placed separately across the varying levels across and around the set. They were set on rostra which allowed them to not only accompany the cast, but also to get involved with the action and the singing. The band had some great voices in it … especially Sarah Dutch, who I think sang solo on at least one number. Bossing these legends was the experienced Chris Rimmer MD/Keys; Chris had two Assistant MD’s Adam Dutch who played Bass and Paul Dutch on Drums! We had Mark Dutch on Guitar, Sarah Dutch on Saxaphone & Flute and Dan Rankin on Keyboards & Guitar... well done you lot!

Wardrobe... sensational, as always! A great deal of time and effort must be spent getting these costumes just right! Costumes enhanced the production so much... congratulations to Chris Watkinson, Sue Stephens, Pauline Barker, Barbara Mitchell, Mary Hall and Hilda Blomley!
Props... used well, everything worked well... under watchful eye of Paula Sumner and Vicky Snape.

Once again, thank you so much for the invite, your hospitality throughout and for allowing me to meet and chat with cast post show. I love pantomime as most will know... so all I can say is ‘You did it again, one, if not your best, thoroughly enjoyed ... be very proud indeed! 

Stay Safe, Keep well
“Stronger Together”

Jim Briscoe …
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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