WENDY & PETER PAN

This re-imagining of the Peter Pan story seen mainly through the eyes of Wendy was a tour de force of directorial and technical brilliance, supported by an enthusiastic and confident cast.

The use of minimal staging and props, moved by Shadows and Ensemble, ensured a mainly seamless production, with projection of scenes and effects on the backdrop making this an obviously intense technical feat, which I feel is important to note, with a large technical team bringing the Directors’ vision to life.  The flight paths and stars were particularly memorable, with the concept of flying Peter, Wendy, John and Michael managed effectively.

The movement was choreographed with insight into the feel of the piece at all times, and was not intrusive, but meant that it slotted into the action well.

Costumes were suitable for the various characters.

I felt there was a certain lack of pace at the very beginning, but it soon gathered momentum and gave us a fast-moving, often amusing and sometimes poignant production.

The cast all invested fully in the ethos of the play, however it was a big cast for the Rep so I can’t mention everyone. 

I thought Sienna Vazquez as Wendy did an admirable job of giving the central character the feeling of trying to be everything to everyone and perhaps not always succeeding, a very good interpretation.

Asa Clark was a very devil-may-care Peter Pan, his agility around the set lent itself well to the character, I enjoyed his understanding of the boy.  Asa created good relationships with Wendy and Tink, played by Jess Albert, who created a really quirky, upfront character, which was a good contrast to the rest of the cast.

The three brothers, John, Michael and Tom, played by James Williams, Leo Vazquez and Daniel Clarke created a good family unit around Wendy, and played their parts well.

Rob Payne and Mandy Perry as Mr and Mrs Darling added gravitas to the fantasy being created round them, I liked their portrayals.

The Lost Boys all had their individual personas, which came over well, whilst the pirates gave us a raucous, rough and ready crew, headed by James Trapp as the scheming Captain Hook, with his compatriot Smee played by Anthony Bird, a good pairing. 

Tiana Rogers was a feisty Tiger Lily, showing good combat skills, along with an empathy for the other characters.

I liked the concept of the Crocodile, as played by Christian Okoli, and the Shadows were just that, creating a slightly sinister feel whilst ensuring all the props etc were in the correct places.

All in all an intriguing play, with insightful performances and directorial decisions, well performed and technically brilliant.

My thanks to Dunstable Rep for inviting us to share this experience with them.

Nova Horley

NODA Representative - NODA East District 3

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