Birmingham Hippodrome – until 2nd February 2025
Reviewed by Emma Millward
5*****
It’s the festive season, and Peter Pan has flown into Birmingham Hippodrome in style!
Produced and directed by Michael Harrison, the show is as spectacular as ever. Hippodrome stalwart Matt Slack is back for his eleventh consecutive year in the Panto, this time playing Mr Smee. Slack and Harry Michaels took on the task of adapting the production of Peter Pan that premiered at the London Palladium last year, with lots of Brummie humour and topical references thrown in for good measure. They have once again made the production their own.
Alison Hammond returns for her second season, this time playing the Magical Mermaid, she swished onto the stage adorned in a beautiful shimmering outfit with a pearl-laden headband and glittery mermaid tail and and was met with rapturous applause. Hammond is clearly loving being back on the Hippodrome stage, and the audience definitely loves having her back. Danny Mac makes his devilish return to the Hippodrome having previously played Prince Charming in Cinderella. His attempts to play Captain Hook as seriously as possible are often slightly scuppered by Matt Slack trying his best to make him laugh. Mac showcased his singing and dancing skills in an excellent rendition of Jailhouse Rock. After a while, it became very hard to boo him, as he turned out to be a very charming Hook! Also joining the cast are Noah Harrison as the ever energetic Peter Pan, Billie-Kay as Tinkerbelle, Rhiannon Chesterman as sweet-natured Wendy Darling, Cian Hughes as John Darling and Stanley-Joe Catley as Michael.
Andrew Ryan also returns for his eighth Pantomime outing at the Hippodrome, and it is apparent he is having the time of his life in his scene stealing turn as Sylvia Smee. He performs some of the best songs in the show, including a version of ‘I Am What I Am’ cleverly mixed in with Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’. He also belts his way through his tongue-in-cheek version of ‘Diva’s Lament’ asking the audience “Whatever happened to the plot?”, showing awareness that this show is not entirely faithful to the plot of the JM Barrie original. But what it might lack in tight storyline structure, it more than makes up for in laughs, songs and amazing special effects.
Mark Walter’s set design is beautifully opulent and colourful, the costumes by Mike Coltman, Ron Briggs and Hugh Durrant are eye-catching and are often (in the case of Sylvia Smee’s Cannon dress) completely outrageous. The special effects by The Twins FX are truly some of the best I have ever seen in a theatre show. I didn’t expect to see a gigantic snarling crocodile with glowing red eyes so early in the show! The flying special effects are also spectacular, especially the flying car that brings the first act of the show to a breathtaking conclusion.
It is easy to see why the Hippodrome has already announced Matt Slack’s return in 2025 for their pantomime Robin Hood, as well as a recently announced appearance as Pharaoh in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in May 2025. Matt Slack and the whole production company have once again delivered a spectacular production full of non-stop laughs, surprises and a boatload of Christmas cheer!