York Theatre Royal – 7 October 2016. Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
Underneath A Magical Moon by Tutti Frutti is a children’s show, which I as an adult loved. The piece of creative adaptation was retelling the story of Peter Pan, everyone’s favourite boy from Neverland, and Wendy who finds out what growing up means. The small cast of 3 did no means hinder the production but brought funny characterisation that the kids loved.
The trio of actors were all very good at interacting with kids as they came to sit down in the theatre, having chats about teddies, toys and much more. They were all well trained in acting and can easily switch from one character to another. But the musical ability between the three of them was stunning, playing different instruments, like a saxophone, banjo and clarinet; this blew me out of the water and made an amazing show even better.
The set was very resourceful and clever something that I love about creative adaptation, and I feel that they mastered this element, with the “Clockadile” being made out of rakes and plant pots. And the tent being quickly assembled on stage by the cast. It’s left a lot to the imagination of children which makes it so real and personal to them, which make them more interested and engaged, and you could tell as they were mesmerised by the show, not fidgeting in seats it was a dream for teachers and parents alike.
The actress who played Wendy (Grace Lancaster) stood out for me with her amazing singing voice and acting with other characters, like Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Hook was a rapping pirate (Chris Draper) not to be messed with, and Peter Pan (Jack Brett) was a child without rules. Under the direction of Wendy Harris and the writing skill of Mike Kenny they ensured a great play.
You can see this show, you don’t have to have kids. And it’s at York theatre Royal until the 22nd of October then it tours internationally after the 31st of October.