Peter Pan - The Awfully Big Pantomime

Postcard review by Caroline Russell-King

Show – Peter Pan - An Awfully Big Pantomime

Playwright/composer – Written by Tom Whalley based on the novel by JM Barrie with music and lyrics from songs recorded/written by Queen, Pharrell Williams, ROSÉ & Bruno Mars, Chappell Roan, Back Street Boys, Elvis Presley, Little Mix, Survivor, Bruce Springsteen, Blue Swede, Andrew Loyd Webber, Gloria Gaynor, Frank Churchill & Jack Lawrence, Arrogant Worms, Elton John, Stephen Schwartz, Claude-Michel Schnonberg, and Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein.

Production Company/Theatre space – (community) Morpheus Theatre / Victor Mitchell Theatre, Pumphouse.

Length – 2 hours 50 minutes (one intermission)

Genre/s – Pantomime

Premise – (Based on a fairy tale) Wendy and her siblings visit Neverland with Peter Pan (“The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up”) and his flying fairy sidekick Tinkerbell, to rescue Tiger Lily from the Pirates, whose leader, Captain Hook, is being pursued by a crocodile.

Why this play? Why now? – Traditionally pantos are performed at Xmas time.

Curiosities – How were the rights to the music outside of the licensed material attained? Do the original rights holders know their work is a part of this?

Notable moment – Peter’s underwater fight with the giant squid.

Notable writing – Tom Whalley has adapted a dozen fairytales which include A-Lad-In,

Big Dick Whittington, Jack Off the Beanstalk, and Throbbin Wood.

Notable performances – The range of talents is Junior High kids doing their first community show to more seasoned performers like Teresa Byrne and Kyle Gould (who managed all of his quick changes!). Laura May Jones gave us a lovely Scottish Fairy who can sing. As the sound levels were off, music drowned out some singers, unfortunately sometimes it did not.  

Notable design/Production – A lot of new skills were being tried out. Carly Dick finds out on her first foray that an interior designer from MRU does not a Set Designer make, to whit the interminably long set changes. “Trying her hand at musical directing” Sarah Nearing was one of the many first timers, but Co-Costume Designers Jay Stover and Yvonne Ustick provide some fun togs for the twenty-four performers.  

Notable direction – Eschewing traditional auditions, Janos Zeller cast on the basis of “holding interviews to get to know each other a little better, where we could get the sense of how we might work together and what kind of energy each person could bring to the show” as he finds “traditional auditions highly stressful and judgmental.” Auditions that focused on actors and singers who are being judged on their talents and ability to act, sing, and dance might have produced a stronger show.

One reason to see this show – If your family member is one of the 46 cast and crew, you’ll want to support them and if you enjoy panto audience participation you’ll have fun.