Last night I had the great pleasure of going to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham. After relaxing with a couple of drinks in the lovely bar area, I headed to my seat looking forward to an evening of pure escapism.
I saw Mischief Theatre’s production of The Play That Goes Wrong years ago and it was hilarious so I was keen to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong, which a friend has also recently raved about. He’s watched it three times! I’ve learned to be wary of hype, but I’m happy to say that my expectations were easily matched, even exceeded, by this incredibly entertaining show.
We took our seats 5 minutes before curtain up and the comedy chaos had already begun as the cast and crew were preparing for their big production which involved the help of a few willing audience members. This was a wonderful way to set the tone for the rest of the evening during which audience interaction was enthusiastically encouraged.
Many familiar human flaws become hilariously apparent in the cast of characters that form the overly ambitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they stage a dizzyingly disastrous version of JM Barrie’s classic tale of Peter Pan, the boy who won’t grow up. All of the familiar characters, including Wendy, Nana the dog, Captain Hook, and Smee are gleefully portrayed by a brilliantly funny and charismatic cast.
Everything that can go wrong does, of course, go wrong. If you are lucky enough to see this show you will witness countless dangerous and embarrassing mishaps as the intrepid troupe plough on till the bitter end, irrespective of injuries to their bodies and egos. I promise you one thing. You will NOT believe that Peter Pan can fly.
The packed audience laughed throughout at the geniusly creative chaotic scenes of mayhem and destruction unfolding on stage. The energy and humour of the cast never waned, despite the play being paused near the end due to a medical emergency in the audience which was handled very professionally by theatre staff.
The cast resumed their whirling finale and received a well-deserved standing ovation. I loved the show and my theatre companion said it was the best show he’s seen. We can’t recommend it highly enough.
Words by Susan Denise for Grapevine Birmingham