Peter Pan

We have come to expect a high level of performance and enjoyment from this award winning society and this year was no exception. The Beehive Theatre is the ideal place to perform pantomime, its design allowing close proximity of cast to the audience allowing an easy interaction and homely atmosphere.

Who doesn’t know Peter Pan, a much loved classic story? This script by Brad Fitt was modern with clearly set scenes but some of the excellent humour and slightly risqué innuendoes were unfortunately missed, mostly due to a slightly unresponsive audience. An excellent choice of songs were slotted into the script, with ‘Eye of the Tiger’ sung by the young chorus and ‘Raining Men’ complete with umbrella hats and some lovely harmony, worthy of special note. Chorus were particularly reactive, acting as individual characters with expressive faces, they certainly made themselves known.

To succeed, panto must be larger than life and colourful. Full credit to a smiling cast who helped fulfil the criteria and after taking a moment or two to warm, became the strength of the show. How does a small town like Honiton attract such talent to its societies?

This year in particular there appears to be a growing trend for Younger dames, certainly in this area. Mrs Smee brought boundless energy to the stage looking ravishing in some of the most outrageous but stunning costumes seen on a dame. It is doubtful the audience will ever look at Seagulls and Octopus in the same way again!

Peter led the cast with confidence and along with Wendy and Tinkerbell, all proved themselves to be accomplished all ‘rounder’s, while the ‘Darling boys’ were just that, acting with a maturity and confidence that superseded their tender years’.

Staging is never easy in Peter Pan, each scene jumps from very differing actions such as pirate ships, boys camps and Mermaid lagoons, to name but a few. When insitu, scenery was enchanting, skilfully designed, constructed and very colourful, however several scenes were compromised by the directors essential need for continuation and perhaps the thought of the impossible task of supplying full scenery for each part of the story. This resulted in a large amount of performance taking place in front of blacks, restricting stage space along with a loss of brightness and vibrancy within the show. However, full credit must be given to the stage crew, who changed the set totally soundless. Lighting design held some welcomed surprises, capturing the different moods, illuminating set and costumes and more importantly helping us believe in ‘Fairies’!

Act two was the more enjoyable of the production with its increased dialogue humour and racy pace. All cast appeared more relaxed and were seen to come into their own, particularly Tinkerbell who shone as bright as her little travelling light. Her performance of ‘Wings’ was sung beautifully filled with emotion and meaning, it was the high light of the production. As the finale song stated, this pantomime entertained and made the audience extremely happy!

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