Reviewed by Laura Bown
Do not miss this! – Absolutely hilarious!
When I heard I was going to be reviewing Peter Pan Goes Wrong, I was over the moon. I’d heard brilliant things about Mischief Theatre’s other comedic plays, including their Olivier Award winning The Play that Goes Wrong, but have never managed to get tickets to one. After checking the website, I was really happy that Peter Pan Goes Wrong was suitable for children over 8, meaning my theatre mad 9-year-old could come with me.
The premise of the play is that Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, a youth theatre group, are performing ‘Peter Pan’ and it is definitely NOT a pantomime (oh yes, it is!). The cast are portraying actors who have parts in a play, they all have a double persona. We arrived with quite a bit of time to spare at the theatre and were sat down just after the doors opened. I’m so glad we did this as the cast actually start acting in their personas prior to the ‘performance’ beginning, and roam around the stalls. My daughter got her program signed by ‘Jonathon Harris’ (played by James Harlowe) who plays Peter Pan. She also had a balloon animal made by Francis Beaumont (played by Patrick Warner) who is the Narrator. There were various skits of stagehands searching for a hammer, plugging in electrical cables (pulling the cable over all the seats in the theatre!), and singing Happy Birthday to someone who’s birthday it wasn’t. This really set up the mood in the theatre and was just a taste of what was to come.
It really is a laugh a minute with this performance, and sometimes there is so much going on, that you can nearly miss one of the more subtle moments. The first scene is in the bedroom of Wendy (played by Katy Daghorn), Michael (played by Tom Babbage, he also plays the crocodile and a mermaid), and John (played by Romayne Andrews, he also plays Mr Smee and a Mermaid). We are introduced to Mr Darling (played by George Haynes, also plays Mr Hook), who also happens to be the director of the performance. We also meet Mrs Darling (played by Pheobe Ellabani) who perhaps has the hardest job of them all as she plays 4 characters (Mrs Darling, Lisa, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lily), this makes for some hilarious costume changes, as sometimes more than one of her characters are in the same scene. Later on, in the play, she also gets electrocuted.
Injury is one thing that just about every character has the pleasure to experience. Think flying disasters, slips, trips, broken bones, doors slammed in faces, and even fire. I use the word slapstick, but it is so much more than this, and absolutely hilarious. The fact that the actors re-enact the this every performance astounds me as the comic timing involved has to be so precise.
The set plays into the slapstick, and there are often ‘stagehands’ on stage when they shouldn’t be, and due to the injuries sustained by cast members, they take on cast member roles. They also have to deal with electrical issues, out of control mechanical sets, smoke machines that don’t work… the list goes on.
You can tell that the play has been crafted and that it has played before audiences a lot. The cast know exactly when to let the audience react, giving it at times a pantomime feel. Run time is 2 hours 5 minutes with a 15 minute interval, which is absolutely perfect. I did worry it would be too long for my daughter, but she adored every minute and really wanted more at the end.
My daughter says ‘A comedy to remember. Half the time I was laughing when the electricity went bust or when someone got hurt. The laughter continued from one scene to the next. Amazing!’
The Lyceum was, as ever brilliant. Drinks and Ice cream were not too expensive and there were staff on hand to help. My daughter got a booster seat and the view was great. Parking at Q Park on Charles street is available at a discount, just ask a member of staff for a voucher.
I would, without a doubt, recommend this to everyone.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £15 (booking fees may apply).
Peter Pan Goes Wrong is at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield from 28 January to 1 February 2020, for more information or to book tickets visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call the box office on 0114 249 6000.
Lyceum Theatre, Norfolk St, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 1DA | 0114 249 6000
