Peter Pan

Flights of Fancy

Peter Pan

by Evan Placey, music and lyrics by Vikki Stone, after JM Barrie

Rose Theatre Original at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until 7^th January

Review by Steve Mackrell

A new musical adaptation of the classic JM Barrie story, Peter Pan, has flown into the Rose Theatre, Kingston as this season’s mid-winter offering.  However, for this stage version, the term “flown” is not quite the operative word since our boy hero remains firmly rooted to the ground.

Taking a timeless classic, such as Peter Pan, provides a great opportunity to tell a very familiar story in a new, fresh and innovative way.  After all, the famous storyline contains all manner of theatrical ingredients – adventure, friendship, magic – and with numerous intriguing concepts such as flying over London, lost shadows, fairy dust, pirates, mermaids, crocodiles and a make-believe Neverland with a tribe of young boys. 

In this adaptation, written by Evan Placey and with original music and lyrics provided by Vikki Stone, the original storyline is reinvigorated with some fast-moving action which conveys a mix of humour, romance, action and fantasy.  One innovative device is to introduce a narrator to help tell the story – in this case a grandmother reminiscing to her grandson.  This helps explain the plot, especially important given the production is geared to young audiences and is also presented in a manner which keeps faith with the original storyline.   Although young Peter Pan doesn’t “fly” in this production, the loss of the flying effect is of little consequence, as Lucy Morrell’s production relies on good old-fashioned storytelling – and fortunately, not being a pantomime, there are no dames, cries of “behind-you” or endless suggestive innuendos or double-entendres.  On the other hand, by keeping faith with Barrie’s original plot, there are some lengthy dialogues, especially in Act One.

The cast contains two dozen players and surprisingly only four are adult professional actors with the remaining twenty players coming from the Rose Youth Theatre, who rotate in two groups – pink and green – with the green cast appearing on press night.  Particularly eye catching was one of the youth performers – Isla Griffiths who played Wendy – showing great talent as an actor in convincing scenes with Pan, conveying a sense of both innocence and naivety.  Her solo song Family Means Love was presented with style, strength and conviction, and her performance held its own against the four professionals including Kaine Ruddach as Pan.  His performance, as the boy who never grew up, was hard-working and full of well-intended energy– although his singing outmatched his acting and his song, My Name is Peter Pan, which closed Act One, was particularly powerful and passionate. 

Unfortunately, I felt there was a casting problem between Wendy and Pan which adversely affected our belief in the magical and innocent relationship between them.  This was the matter of age between the girlish Wendy, from the youth theatre, in contrast to the older male professional playing Pan.  It would perhaps have felt more comfortable if their ages had been closer or alternatively, as often happens, casting Pan as a young female.   

Without doubt, it was the musical numbers which lifted the show.  The routine that stole the show was the opening to Act Two, So You Think You Wanna Be a Pirate with Hook, Smee and the pirates.  There were clever lyrics and rhymes about being a super pirate such as “we know what you all say, that we are all cliché” – which received a deserved warm ovation.

Of the other professionals, Michelle Bishop’s roughly spoken Captain Hook (also doubling as Mrs Darling) displayed a rich pirate mixture of evil and glamour, while Dominic Rye played the rather thankless part as Smee (doubling as Mr Darling) with effective understated comic timing.  Other worthy performances from the youth theatre included Shona Maggo as Tiger Lily and puppeteer Audrey Johnston controlling Nana the dog.

The set, simple but clever, was worked around a bare stage using four movable staircases to create the different settings – especially creative was the transformation into a snug attic-style bedroom for the lost boys.  However, some of the transitions between scenes became slow while actors struggled to move the props – meanwhile some of the “lost” time was filled with the puppeteer of Nana (the dog) and Tinker Bell’s magic light moving around the auditorium and engaging with children in the audience. 

As for the famous “flying” scene, this was effectively mimed with actors holding puppets flying over small wooden replicas of London landmarks, and to great effect.  Finally, the excellent Mimi Forster, who played Michael, the smallest of the Darling children, gave a very mature and impassioned curtain call to remind us all of contributing to the charity supporting the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Purists may argue that, in reinterpreting Barrie’s fairytale, the original element of melancholy is often lost especially in recent adaptations.  Barrie himself wrote that “all children, except one, grow up” which is generally taken as meaning that children should remain as children for ever to maintain their perfection and innocence.  In today’s world, the thought of a child who never grows up is somewhat sinister.  In this production, however, there are subtle hints of Barrie’s melancholy especially in the closing touching scenes between Pan and Wendy and in the poignant song reprising The Lullaby.  The twist in the final scene may surprise some, but to explain more would be a spoiler.  Barrie’s melancholy apart, this Rose Original production is entertaining, if only to witness the sheer exuberance of a colourful cast joyously exploring a familiar story with fun and enthusiasm.   Peter Pan is a reasonable antidote to help counteract the current ills of the modern world outside.

Steve Mackrell, December 2023

Photography by Mark Douet