The Barn Theatre, Cirencester – online
Reviewed by Andrew Harrison
4****
I may be 282 miles away from The Barn Theatre in Cirencester, but I was able to settle down to watch this unique live streaming, which also had a live audience, of Peter Pan.
Waiting for the stream to begin, rain and thunder created the atmosphere and I felt the excitement of live productions returning, with a tinge of sadness that I couldn’t be there in person. This is after all my favourite time of the year for shows.
As a man enters a hotel room 3000 miles away from home, he still wants to be part of his daughter’s, Georgia Dibbs, bedtime, with a story before she goes to sleep. As soon as Waylon Jacobs enters the stage, I was engrossed with his captivating presence throughout the 50-minute production. He creates all of the characters and skilfully uses props to create the story including teddy bears as John and Michael Darling, a coat hanger for a bow and arrow and Captain Hook with an umbrella magically appearing as the hook. His enthralling characterisation, makes you really feel that you are there in the middle of this magical adventure.
Even though it is a one man show, there has clearly been an incredible amount of work behind the scenes especially the 10 projection artists involved in this production. As well as the set, costumes, sound, music, lighting and ingenious direction from Kirk Jameson this has created an awfully big adventure.
Peter Pan can be seen for a limited time as a live streaming at barntheatre.org.uk/barn-digital