Programme 2005
Programme 2009
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Programme 2005 |
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Programme 2009 |
ACT I
The production opens with the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael, playing in their bedroom with their dog Nana. The maid brings them a supper of cakes and milk and their parents enter to put them to bed. Once the children are safely tucked in and fast asleep the adults leave. A short time later the fairy Tinkerbell flies in through the open window - she is helping Peter Pan search for his lost shadow which is hiding in the room. Peter Pan follows Tinkerbell in through the window but, having found his shadow, cannot get it to stick to him.
Wendy awakes, surprised to see this strange boy in the room she nevertheless realises his predicament and takes out her sewing kit and sews Peter and his shadow back together. Peter is elated. John and Michael are awoken by the commotion and try to emulate this strange flying boy. Their clumsy efforts are unsuccessful but then Tinkerbell sprinkles some of her magic fairy dust over them and with Peter's help all three children learn to fly. Peter invites them to come with him to Never Never Land and they all fly off together.
But as they arrive in Neverland Tinkerbell has become jealous of Wendy and tells one of the lost boys to use his bow and arrow to shoot down the prey that Peter has brought back with him. Wendy is wounded and falls to the ground. The lost boys gather round and try to hide Wendy as Peter enters the scene. Peter is distressed but Tinkerbell, remorseful for what she has done, heals Wendy and all celebrate.
Just then however, Captain Hook arrives with his gang of pirates. The pirates chase away the lost boys but Hook stays to battle Peter. The fight is cut short when a loud ticking noise is heard. It is the approach of a crocodile that bit off Hook's hand and swallowed a clock. It is a sound that terrifies Hook and he quickly flees back to his ship.
ACT II
Act II opens in the camp of the lost boys where all of the children are gathered round sharing a meal and telling stories. The boys all retire to sleep leaving Peter and Wendy alone. The seem to be growing closer but Peter ends the moment and flies up to the ledge he uses for his bed. After they too have fallen asleep the pirates sneak up on the camp and wake the children one by one and lure them away from the camp with a fishing line baited with sweets then kidnap them. Soon only Peter is left, he wakes to find the camp deserted and Tinkerbell explains to him what has happened.
The pirates have taken the kidnapped children back to their ship and are about to make them each in turn walk the plank when the ominous ticking noise is heard again. As the pirates search for the approach of the crocodile they fail to see Peter fly in and release the children from their bonds. With the children armed a fight ensues but the pirates are no match for the children with their magical flying ability. The pirates are overcome, and it is Hook who is made to walk the plank into the waiting jaws of his nemesis, the crocodile.
The children take over the pirates ship and Tinkerbell again uses her fairy dust to give it too the power of flight. They fly back to London to return the Darling children to their home. Their distraught mother is overjoyed to find them returned to their beds. Then the lost boys come in through the window and the children beg their parents to allow them to stay. They are welcomed into the family and Mr Darling leads them away to find them places to sleep. Peter too is welcome to stay, but he does not wish to grow up and flies off alone to return to Never Never Land.
01/12/2005
As a spectacle and a piece of fun this production fully lives up to its promise, but as a ballet for ballet purists there is perhaps just a little bit lacking. It should be remembered of course that this is intended to be a 'family ballet' and to appeal to an audience of all ages, and one should hardly be surprised therefore when the choreography leans heavily toward pantomime and is none too taxing in the balletic sense. But still I think there could have been at least a little more for the grown-ups. Take Tinkerbell for example, a small and rather plasticy looking doll* moved around and operated by a black-suited (but still in plain sight) controller [*see update]. This technique worked supremely well for the seagulls that flocked around the children on their flight to Never Never Land but for an 'acted' part it looked rather ludicrous - far better to have had a dancer in the role with the attendant dance opportunities that that would have provided.
However, such criticisms are to be fair more than a little churlish when applied to a production designed particularly to appeal to children (of whom there were many in the audience - but not nearly so many as I expected) so enough said on that score. On the positive side the sets and costumes were positively lavish by provincial standards and extremely cleverly designed making use of drops and a revolving stage to transform the scenery with remarkable rapidity. The music by Stephen Warbeck was superb and beautifully played by a very talented live orchestra. And there were at least two moments of pure ballet magic, these for me being the dance of the mermaids and (especially) the dance of the Neverbird.
The overall result being that what was clearly intended as a colourful and joyful piece of fun when viewed in that sense it was clearly a great success.
Patrick Howell as Peter Pan was perhaps the one performer to whom the choreography really gave a chance to shine and shine he certainly did. Being on stage most of the time made this a physically demanding part but he rose to the occasion in more ways than one, looking particularly comfortable when flying through the air. Keiko Amemori as Wendy has a childlike quality that made her supremely suited to the role, and this was further enhanced by the fact that she danced the part entirely on demi-pointe. Darren Goldsmith made a dashing Mr Darling and a deliciously wicked captain Hook giving us some excellent swordplay in his fights with Peter. Coryphee Ginnie Ray deserves a special mention for her role as Ms Darling and particularly for her dance of the Neverbird, performed in a white feathered costume.
18/12/2009
It has been four years since I first saw this production and it has to be said that the current version is a great improvement. The fun and adventure of J.M. Barrie's classic story are still there but the dancing shines out more and seems to be of a much higher standard than I remember. But by far the biggest single improvement is the replacement of the Tinkerbell puppet from the previous production with a live dancer this time around. This was my greatest criticism from the previous version and it really does raise the whole production up several notches, especially since the tiny and insubstantial Antoinette Brooks-Daw was superb in the part. Flittering about on pointe she is every inch the ingenue so that when we are asked do we beleive in fairys we have the evidence of our own eyes to back a resounding "yes". Amongst the other performances, Ashley Dixon made a strong and athletic Peter Pan whilst Pippa Moore is a delight as Wendy. Kudos also to Lori Gilchrist as a very funny mischeivious dog, Nana, and Victoria Sibson for her excellent dance of the Neverbird and poignant portrayal of Mrs Darling.
A colourful musical spectacular providing a great christmas treat for children and adults alike.