Peter Pan and the Lost Marbles

For their latest pantomime, Phoenix took the well-known story of Peter Pan and subverted it in many interesting and entertaining ways.  So we had Captain Hook starting the show fully-handed, as it were; Tinkerbell developing a crush on Peter; and the Darling siblings making their way to Neverland via Uber!  Baz Stilinski, writing his second panto for the group, and directors Karen McDonald and Adam Clarke (who also designed the sets), clearly had great fun putting this story together, and that comes across in this energetic, eccentric show. 

The fun started with Peter separating the Captain from one of his hands, which led to a great running joke as members of his crew replaced it with a feather duster and then a sink plunger (surely there was a Dalek joke to be made there!), before the famous hook made its appearance.  Philip Leigh was a suitably snarling presence as the Captain, engaging in some great banter with the audience, and his sidekicks Smee (David Dunn) and Starkey (Lisa Maxwell) were both good fun and did a great job getting the crowd going. 

We soon met the Darling family, confidently led by Katie Cherry as Wendy, who wasted no time setting her sights on Peter.  Yaseen and Zeina both did very well as John and Michael respectively, clearly delivering their lines and full of fun as they really got into the panto spirit.  A couple of new stars in the making!  Completing the Darling team was Manny, played by Nick Johnson in a superbly humorous turn.  His early ‘sit, beg, play dead’ routine was hilarious, and I liked his nonplussed reaction as he found that, in Neverland, he can talk.  His totally unimpressed response to being pressed into action as the crocodile was also great (this following a very amusing running joke as stagehand Callum McCormick pursued an increasingly frantic search for the croc – perhaps inspired by ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’s similar hunt for a dog?)

Baz Stilinski’s Peter Pan veered entertainingly between heroic leading man and grumpy teenager – including a very funny moment in which he learnt that kisses are a grown up thing and promptly rejected poor Wendy’s advances!  Peter’s vow to never grow up met another challenge when, arriving in Neverland, we found that the Lost Boys had mysteriously done just that (due, it turned out, to those mysterious lost marbles).  This led to some funny scenes as the Boys explored their new-found maturity, much to Peter’s chagrin!  Made up of Slightly (Andi Hardy), Curly (Clara Abel), Tootles (Alison Ballinger), Nibs (Maddy Williams) and the two Twins (Dylan Beecher and Natalie Kaminski – amusingly looking nothing like each other), the Lost Boys were great value and really added to the panto silliness – especially when they doubled-up as Hook’s dastardly pirate crew!) 

No panto is complete without a Dame, and this one had a great one in Adam Clarke’s hilariously deadpan mermaid, Athena – leading us in song and encouraging us to welcome him with ‘Hello Gorgeous’ every time he appeared.  He also enjoyed some great costumes (well done to Jacqui Lindsay, Caroline Adams and Michelle Stead), including a particularly impressive final outfit, complete with teetering ship hat. Also taking their opportunity with both hands was Chloe McDonald as the love-struck Tinkerbell, who switched sides several times as she stole the magic marbles, only to be betrayed by Hook and ultimately team up with her nemesis Wendy to steal them back again! 

The show featured some great songs – opening with the pirates performing Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’.  An unusual choice for a panto, I thought, but all became clear as its ‘off to never-neverland’ refrain came around.  Later, there was a great version of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ featuring narrator Elea Walker to accompany a charming UV sequence, and the show closed with a rousing (and again, very appropriate given the subject matter) ‘Live While We’re Young’.  All of the other panto staples – including some wonderfully corny jokes and plenty of audience participation – were also present and correct.

Amazingly, Phoenix Players lost five members of their cast a few weeks before the performances.  Congratulations, then, to all those who stepped into the breach at extremely short notice.  I can honestly say that if I had not been told I would not have realised that anything had been amiss.  Who needs rehearsals, eh?!  But seriously, the way in which the whole team coped with what must have been a tricky situation shows what a great group of people that Phoenix have got together here.  This feels like a tight-knit group and that really comes across in performance.  Well done to all of them on another brilliantly entertaining, madcap panto, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon! 

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