Peter Pan the Panto

Peter Pan the Panto ... a pantomime staged/performed by St Ambrose Players at Leyland Methodist Community Centre, Turpin Green Lane, Leyland on the Friday, 12th December 2025

I think we all have some knowledge of this classic J.M. Barrie tale of a young boy who refuses to grow up. On a quest to find stories with which to entertain his young cohorts back in Neverland ... an island refuge for “Lost Boys”! Peter returns to the real world and meets Wendy, Michael, and John Darling. The Darling children accompany Peter back to the magical World of Neverland, where they learn to fly, get involved in all sorts of adventures, defeat the evil Captain Hook, and are changed forever. In this panto we met some dodgy looking pirates, saw many swordfights, met a very odd Nanny and yet we still had a story filled with magic, delight, and just a small sprinkling of fairy dust!

Production Team ... transport us from ‘London to Neverland and back’ was the task handed to Paul Regan (Director) and Adam G Smith (Assistant Director), but, Leyland Methodist Community Centre, St Ambrose Players second home ... doesn’t have the biggest of stage spaces, so, when I tell you that we had a cast of forty-six actors on stage, some experienced, some less so, then you’ll realise that considered stage direction and stage co-ordination was needed throughout if this production was to work and flow.... and work and flow it did, so congrats folks!  Assisting Paul and Adam, we had the experienced Judith Oakes (Musical Director) and Choreographers Kerry Chippendale and Meghan Torkington. They’d gathered together a good principal cast who worked ever so well together, an ensemble that supported the principal ever so well whilst singing with ‘gusto’ and ‘confidence’. With the previously mentioned stage space, the choreography had to be thoughtfully considered and it was. Simple yet effective choreography was used throughout which played to the dancers’ strengths and the limited space available, enhancing all the songs, dances and scenes. Well done folks... great job!

The Cast...  mentioned above, we had a cast of forty-six, some experienced, some less so... but what was obvious as soon as those curtains parted was that everyone on stage looked so happy, engaged and well-rehearsed. ‘Peter Pan’ was played by Luciana Guerrero, her first ever lead role;  Kieran Smith played ‘Captain Hook & Mr Darling’; Sophie Reynolds – ‘Wendy’;  Kim Barker - ‘Smee’; Iain Mossley - ‘Nanny Nelly Knuckles’; Joshua Marston - ‘Michael’; Aiden Martin - ‘John’; Lydia Elsden - ‘Tinker Bell’;
Sonya Thompson – ‘Tiger Lily’; Grace Davies – ‘Tootles’;  Gabi Moss – ‘Bunty’; Katy Tompkins – Curly; Ethan Syers – ‘Pip’; Sarah White – ‘Pirate Wan’; Jonathan Holmes – ‘Big Chief Tesco’; Anna O’Hanlon – ‘Mrs Darling’ and Fraser Bruce – ‘Keith the Pirate’.  
Lost Boy Ensemble – Charlie Baker & Zak Vardy. Adult Ensemble – Mandy Stanton, Sheridan Zabel, Kieron Alami, Molly Houghton, William Perrin, Ellie Clayton, Jenny Harbottle, Oliver Grindrod, Adam Cruickshank, Teague Robertson, Chloe Swinglehurst, Alison Griffiths-Barnes, Tony Stevens, Tabitha Mossley, Andrew Wilkinson, Laura Priestley, Izzie Tennant, Emily Dearden & Mia Buchanan.
Children’s Ensemble – Kallie Jones, Alice Crewe, Harper Reynolds, Olivia Mellin, Eva Atkinson, Eve Hansen, Ayanah Vardy & Everly Timmins.

This was a strong principal cast and they were well supported by an enthusiastic and animated ensemble. When you can see everyone giving of their best, it’s sometimes difficult to start suggesting that someone was better than someone else! But, never one to sit on the fence, I am going to select a ‘show stealer’ and identify some favourite characters... these are MY favourites and MY show stealer.... you’ll no doubt have your own... but these are mine! MY ‘Showstealer’ ... I’ve plumped for Kim Barker’s portrayal of the loveable, loyal pirate ‘SMEE’ who, at every opportunity, tries to avoid conflict. Kim is an experienced actor who made this part her own! Loved the comedy character created! Kim is blessed with great stage presence, great comedic timing and a nice singing voice. She worked well with all the cast, but in particular, with the suave braggart that is Capt. Hook. Loved the banter with the audience, loved the banter with Hook... be proud Kim great job!  Favourite Characters... of which there were many, but I’m selecting but three ... the first being Kieran Smith and his portrayal of the glorious villain that is Captain James Hook and Mr Darling, father to the Darling kids, Wendy, Michael and John.  Kieran really did shine in these roles, especially as ‘Hook’. Another with stage presence aplenty and an ability to create believable characters. As soon as Kieran donned that ‘pirate costume’ you could see the enjoyment emanating from his every move! Loved his rendition of ‘You’ll Be Back’, a highlight for me ... be very proud Kieran, great job!  Don’t you just luv a confident Dame... and Iain Mossley gave us just that in the form of Nanny Nelly Knuckles.  Having spent the last thirty-four Christmas’s in a dress... I think I can speak with a bit of authority on the subject of panto dames. Iain was confident, assured, and had the ability, from first entrance to last, to interact and hold the audience. Loved the banter, the one liners... great job Iain. My final ‘shout out’ goes to Lydia Elsden and her portrayal of ‘Tinker Bell’. Lydia did a great job showing the two sides of this fairy, the feisty, sassy, yet stubborn side and the devoted, loyal side which she shows toward Peter Pan. Again, worked ever so well with all the cast... be proud Lydia.  PS:  special mention ... Fraser Bruce aka ‘Keith the Pirate ... ‘word perfect’... well done sir, I just laughed whenever/wherever you popped up!

Stage/Set/Tech... I’ve talked about the stage size a great deal... but this didn’t appear to deter the ‘Wizards’ that are St Ambrose Stage crew led by the ever-present Graham Forrest (Stage Manager). His ‘crew’ – Paul Gregson (Crew / Scenic Painter), Steven Barnes, Martin Dempsey and Gordon Manley. Well staged, set perfectly constructed and handled, except for one ‘nasty interlude’ when decamping from the island in Act two! Sound and Lighting were good again in the capable hands of David Smith (Sound) and Stephen Porter (Lighting)

Band... under the watchful eye of Judith Oakes, this three-piece band supported all the singers ever so well. Great balance, never over powering, just supporting all the singers throughout ... the band included Nick Woods and Linda Scott.

Costumes ... superb set of costumes, apt, of the era and under the watchful eye of Paul Regan and Adam G Smith.

Props... Beth Wharton, Paul Regan and Adam G Smith were in charge of the props... which, as always were of good quality and used ever so well.

Thank you for inviting Susan and I… it truly is always a privilege and a pleasure to come to St Ambrose to watch you guys perform, whether it’s at ‘Halls for All’ or here at ‘Leyland Methodists’. Have a great Christmas, already looking forward to seeing you guys through that ‘Cracked Mirror’.

Stay Safe – Keep Well
Stronger together

Jim Briscoe
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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