Park Theatre – until 5th January
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
Park Theatre’s production of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is everything your family needs this Christmas – innocent, charming fun that sparks the imagination of all ages.
The story of Wendy, Michael and John Darling flying away with Peter Pan to Neverland and finding mermaids, Tiger Lily and her tribe, pirates and THAT crocodile is a firm family favourite. The joy of childhood innocence and the celebration of imagination and fantasy in Barrie’s play is embraced wholeheartedly by director Jonathan O’Boyle and designer Gregor Donnelly. The stage never fully transforms from the Darling’s bedroom – the wooden floors are never disguised, and the dresser and the dresser and chest are never removed. Instead Nic Farman’s lighting picks up glowing strange luminescent formations and creepers/stalactites under UV to denote the lagoon, and the tiniest of ship’s wheels appears as a Jolly Roger is hoisted to let everyone know that we are now on the pirate ship. Even Nana seems to be conjured up from a pile of Autumn leaves by the children’s imagination. It’s one of the most sophisticated game of Let’s Pretend you’ll ever see. Yes, the flying is determinedly old school, but that is all part of the charm.
Although O’Boyle sticks closely to the original text, there are some delightful modern touches that fit seamlessly into the play. Mr Darling pulls out his mobile phone, modern slang pops up to great effect, and the boardgame Guess Who? Keeps getting pulled off the dresser shelf. Most of the props are items any child could find around their house, and the Lost Boys eating an imaginary meal with the Darlings is pitched perfectly. There are no real weapons, making the climactic fight between Hook and Peter a nugget of comedy gold that is instantly recognisable to any parents.
The talented cast of adults capture the leaps of imagination of the children they portray wonderfully, without any patronising or knowing glances. In modern dress, with lovely nods to the narrative – especially John and Michael’s pyjamas, this doesn’t look like a traditional production. In fact, it is Peter who is the “captain” of the Lost Boys in a green dress uniform jacket (with green Converse), while Hook is more like a demonic fisherman in black oilskins. Nickcolia King-N’da is full of cocky confidence as Peter, and Alexander Vlahos is phenomenal as Hook. This Welsh pirate rolls his R’s like Richard Burton on crack, and channels Victor Spinetti at his OTT best, with a delicious touch of Gloria Swanson, in a performance that paints a character who is dark and bonkers enough to be a threat, but supremely silly and useless enough to be a joke. The perfect villain for any brave and clever child to defeat.
Barrie’s mourning of the loss of innocence is captured beautifully in the performances of Rosemary Boyle and Natalie Grady as Wendy and Mrs Darling as they provide care, stability and a touch of common sense for the reckless male characters who throw themselves into danger without a care, and Peter’s choice at the end of the play is handled without sentimentality by King N’da and Boyle.
The joy of this show is sharing the thrill of fantasy with the actors and the children in the audience. There is so much in the production for adults to enjoy, but hearing a little, uninhibited voice shouting out to the characters on stage to help or warn them both warms your heart and fills you with regret that adults aren’t supposed to do that. But, of course, every adult in the theatre claps like a demented seal to save Tink!
Second star to the right, and straight up the Victoria line for a magical feast of fantasy that will thrill the whole family.