There is something very satisfying, as you enter a theatre auditorium, when you can see that the theatre has pulled out all the stops to create something very special and, when you see the massively extended stage and the huge star curtain that covers the walls and ceiling of the Assembly Hall Theatre, you know you’re in for a treat and, with this year’s pantomime Peter Pan, a massive treat is exactly what you get!
Everything about this traditional pantomime, produced by UK Productions, is done on a grand scale. The sets are huge, the flying scenes are very ambitious, the scene changes are plentiful (and very slick) and the song and dance routines very lavish.
Star of Cbeebies show Swashbuckle, Gemma Hunt, as roller skate wearing Tinkerbell, is the first to appear on stage and she introduces us to the story that is about to unfold. Gemma plays this part perfectly, with just the right amount of attitude to make her unpleasant, but still likeable enough that, when we reach the latter stages of the story, the entire audience still care about what happens to her.
The Darling Family’s handyman, Mr Mee (who later morphs into Captain Hook’s henchman Mr Smee) is played by Mark James. His jokes are as old as the hills, but delivered in such a way that they still seem fresh enough to get both groans and laughs from the appreciative audience.
The pirate crew are played by Andrew Rothwell, Chris Gage and Freddie Mason who, despite being involved for most of the show, only really show their true skill as performers in Act Two when they are joined by Mr Smee and perform a wonderfully slapstick acrobatic tumbling routine.
Other notable performances come from Anna Lawrence as Wendy, Nicola Avino who doubles up as the Darling’s Maid, Liza, and Tiger Lily and from Lucy Garrioch who shows off her great singing voice as the matronly and reserved Mrs Darling but then lets loose all her comic skills as the Mermaid, Persil.
Flying around the auditorium, like it was the most natural way to travel, is Jessica Punch as our hero Peter Pan. She is every inch the Principal Boy with plenty of thigh slapping and confident hands on hip posing, whilst at the same time showing the vulnerability that makes this character so complex. Whether flying over the landmarks of London, or taking on Captain Hook in a sword fight, Jessica’s performance is convincing and confident.
Captain Hook himself is played by Holby City’s Mark Moraghan who exchanges his blue surgical gown for the red coat and feathered hat of this, most dastardly, pirate. Hooks makes a huge X-Factor style entrance but soon comes back to earth as his attempts at humour are scripted to fail miserably (and they do!), so he relies on his mastery of the sword and his subservient crew on the stage, and his audience insults, to get the “boos” – which are plentiful from the very outset.
The whole of this surprisingly large cast, which also includes the characters of Jon, Michael and the Lost Boys (played by members of The McAllister-Brown Dance School and All The Arts Theatre School), four female dancers who play the townsfolk and the Indian braves, Ben Pavey as Nana the Dog and junior girl dancers from the Associates, all work together really well and, considering that they have only been performing this show for a few days, already work perfectly as a team.
With it’s huge sets, wonderful musical numbers, some borrowed from musicals such as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Wicked and some current chart hits, together with spectacular aerial effects and fight scenes, Peter Pan is a must see for this festive season.
***** Five Stars
