The Stage

Peter Pan

Published Monday 14 December 2009 at 13:10 by Scott Matthewman

There is something inherently difficult about turning an established stage play for children into a knockabout panto. Chesham’s effort just about manages to straddle both types of source material, but on occasion one wishes it would make up its mind what it wants to be.

From the moment Lisa Cassidy’s Peter flies in, she engages the young audience. It is her spirited performance that ensures that Tinkerbell, although just a laser spot and sound effect, convinces as a fully fledged character.

Zach Venderfelt similarly impresses as Captain Hook. True to the character’s origins, he is best when exuding menace, his silent glowers at the audience producing genuine shivers. Unfortunately, his performance is the first to suffer from the disciplines of pantomime, at times neutering his character for the sake of a few knockabout gags.

Some accomplished swordplay raises the central play’s lacklustre finale before the more traditional pantomime coda. Suitably impressive sets and a number of sound and lighting cues add atmosphere throughout - save for Peter’s first entrance to the nursery, where a harsh follow spot means that his hunt for his shadow fails to convince the young audience, eager to point out that it was on the wall all the time.