Peter Pan “a riotously entertaining and magical festive feast for the whole family” – Harlow Star
The Playhouse has done it again with a riotously entertaining and magical festive feast for the whole family.
This is the first time the theatre has gone with Peter Pan as a panto, so it was fascinating to see how the tale of the boy who never grew up was handled by the team behind last year’s Aladdin and 2009’s Cinderella.
An energetic old London town market routine featuring typically high production values segued nicely to the Darling’s nursery, where we meet Wendy (the excellent Amber Wallis), her two young brothers John and Michael – and Peter Pan.
It’s at this moment, when our hero whisks the Darlings off to Neverland where the show can easily disappoint. If the flying doesn’t convince it can spoil the remainder of the show, but here they got it spot on, capturing a real sense of wonder and enchantment.
While Wendy becomes a surrogate mother to the Lost Boys and Girls, elsewhere in Neverland the dastardly Captain Hook seeks his revenge on Peter for having chopped off his hand. But there’s a crocodile out there that’s had a taste of old Hookie’s digits and wants the rest.
Jacob Scipio (CBeebies’ Kerwhizzator) brought the right balance of child-like wonder and dashing heroism to the role of Peter, while the wonderful Chris Ellison (The Bill’s Burnside) delivered moustache-twirling old-school villainy to his cracking portrayal of Hook.
But it was Tom Swift’s performance as Hook’s right-hand man Smee that sent the show into overdrive.
That’s not to say the rest of the cast and not worthy of mention. Patrick Jacobs in particular was a camp-as-Christmas delight as Starkey, but it’s hard to compete with Swift when he’s firing on all cylinders.
Great costumes and sets, an imaginative lighting design, impressive dance routines courtesy of Academy Arts and Jacqui Ison Theatre Arts and songs made for another Playhouse panto to savour.
All children may grow up except one, but this enchanting version of Peter Pan is sure to bring the kid out in all of you.
Lauren Buckenham
Harlow Star, December 8, 2011