Reviewed by Lauren CB
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
This was a very special performance indeed. Glamourous, feel-good and comedy gold it was, a traditional, nostalgic Peter Pan tale it was not. The priority of the show was very much giving Paul Chuckle (as Starkey) and Steve Hewlett (as Smee), not forgetting Smee’s companion Arthur, as much stage time as possible. This was much to the audience’s delight.
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| (centre clockwise from the top left) (Aiden Carson), Wendy Darling (Molly Farmer), Michael Darling (Harley Butler), Tinker Bell (Kate Stewart), John Darling (Matthew Allen) and ensemble. Photo by Whitefoot Photography |
Hewlett and Arthur had us cracking up in the first five minutes, arguing with each other, stealing audience members’ underwear and displaying the pure genius of ventriloquy. Later in the show Hewlett introduced us another of his puppet companions, four-year-old Chi Chi. Chi Chi stole everybody’s hearts, innocently asking, where does Pooh come from?
Paul Chuckle followed Hewlett, getting the audience more hyped than ever by throwing chocolate and sweets out into the stalls as part of his opening song. It felt so good to belly laugh and experience this comedic legend live for the first time. Chuckle and Hewlett were so funny together that I even caught Chuckle corpsing!
Panto-flu is a very real thing, anyone who’s ever worked in theatre will understand this; its cold outside, companies work long days and immune systems are tested. Unfortunately, Gok Wan couldn’t be with us for this performance due to illness, so Alan Burkitt (director and choreographer of the production) stepped in to cover Wan’s role of the Magical Merman, ‘the stylist of Neverland’. Burkitt’s performance of ‘Fabulous Baby’ truly set the tone for the character. Camp, covered in sparkles and surrounded by incredibly talented dancers, Burkitt brought immense class and glamour to the role, making us laugh, but also showing us true professionalism. On his second entrance, Burkitt was carrying a sparkly gold clipboard which looked like it was part of his character. It took me most of Act One to realise that he actually had a script on there (as he reminded Smee, ‘this was shoved in my hand this morning!) and the two made a hilarious moment out of Burkitt needing to find the right page. Without Burkitt stepping in we wouldn’t have had a show to watch this evening so it was massively appreciated and didn’t go unrecognised by anyone.
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| Starkey (Paul Chuckle), Smee (Steve Hewlett) and Captain Hook (Richard Winsor). Photo by Whitefoot Photography |
On a similar note, I found out during the interval that Richard Winsor stepped into the role of the fearsome Captain Hook on Tuesday 3rd December. I was gobsmacked, you would never be able to tell! Winsor’s principal dancer experience shone through in his musical numbers and all of his scenes because scary as Hook is, there was real showmanship there, which made us want to keep watching him. Again, stepping into a principal role at such short notice and making it look so effortless is true professionalism and makes up the real magic of live theatre.
The good-guys of Neverland were all wonderful in their own right. Kate Stewart as Tink had a very Glinda-esque quality, possibly enhanced by Tink’s beautiful pink dress. Stewart was graceful and charismatic, so much so that even when she was being jealous and mean to Wendy and betraying the Darling children, we still couldn’t hate her. Molly Farmer’s (Wendy) singing voice is heavenly and Michael (Harley Butler) and Matthew Allen (John) were both charming and excitable. Aiden Carson as our hero Peter was brave and playful with some graceful fight choreography too. ‘The Lost Boys’ being changed to ‘The Lost Children’ felt very relevant and inclusive as just a small detail that makes a difference to a 2024 audience.
A special mention to the costume designers for ‘Peter Pan’, Teresa Nalton, Mike Coltman and Ron Briggs, every character and ensemble member looked gorgeous throughout. The crocodiles in particular were brilliant!
To conclude, this production was less about the magic of Neverland and more about demonstrating the true magic of raw, live theatre and showing just how enchanting a production can be when you have company bubbling over with professionals who take obstacles in their stride. The phrase ‘the show must go on’ comes from productions exactly like this one.
Peter Pan runs at Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Sunday 12th January 2025. Tickets are available from https://trch.co.uk/whats-on/peter-pan/
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| Captain Hook (Richard Winsor) and the ensemble. Photo by Whitefoot Photography |
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