Ella Hickson's adaptation "Wendy and Peter Pan" brings J.N Barrie's book from the early 20th century up to date with a healthy dose of magic, in a really quite moving production.
The staging is wonderful from the get go, opening to a cosy family bedroom scene where the kids play battles and imagine themselves into different worlds.
They are soon visited by Peter Pan - Ziggy Heath - of course, and end up in Neverland where they search for their “lost” brother Tom, a new character and focus of the Darling parent's depression.
Throughout, the set looks great but where the magic really comes is from the script and the brilliant acting from the cast, who are flawless throughout. Glitter, confetti, brilliantly placed lights and Peter and Isobel McArthur’s Wendy flights round the stage really transport you.
Gyuri Sarossy's Hook is the perfect “heel”, raising boos from the audience as the pantomime villain and scaring the kids, who Heath’s Peter also plays to perfectly. Sally Reid's Tink goes full-Scottish, had the kids laughing and was at the center of one of the standout moments for the younger audience.
Wendy is the real emotional centrepiece of the play though, as the reversal of the title names from the original novel by Barrie would suggest. She guides the rest of the characters through the world and is the protagonist, focus and driver of the plot.
The staging is wonderful from the get go, opening to a cosy family bedroom scene where the kids play battles and imagine themselves into different worlds.
They are soon visited by Peter Pan - Ziggy Heath - of course, and end up in Neverland where they search for their “lost” brother Tom, a new character and focus of the Darling parent's depression.
Throughout, the set looks great but where the magic really comes is from the script and the brilliant acting from the cast, who are flawless throughout. Glitter, confetti, brilliantly placed lights and Peter and Isobel McArthur’s Wendy flights round the stage really transport you.
Gyuri Sarossy's Hook is the perfect “heel”, raising boos from the audience as the pantomime villain and scaring the kids, who Heath’s Peter also plays to perfectly. Sally Reid's Tink goes full-Scottish, had the kids laughing and was at the center of one of the standout moments for the younger audience.
Wendy is the real emotional centrepiece of the play though, as the reversal of the title names from the original novel by Barrie would suggest. She guides the rest of the characters through the world and is the protagonist, focus and driver of the plot.
Hickson has brought the story into the 21st century with the addition of Tiger Lily, a solo, hunting girl who brings what is a rare touch of feminine power to the first half of the show. She’s entertaining but perhaps underused and under explained.
The feminist theme is brought in more strongly in the second half, where Wendy asks why the boys get to have all the fun, and subsequently plotting. It's a good observation, and one that, since we'd be lying if we said we hadn't been wondering the same in the first half of the show, the play really couldn't have done without.
The play peaks late on, when Wendy and Peter talk about Tom, gazing at the stars, before a part-tragic, part-magical sequence that follows. The beauty of the building itself is even highlighted.
One of our favourite things about the Lyceum in Edinburgh is that whenever they do plays geared more towards children, they also remember to make sure that the play is still actually good, and can be enjoyed by adults as well. Like a Disney or Pixar film. It sounds obvious but we’ve seen one two many kids plays where they just fill it up with fart jokes, the kids laugh at a few, and their parents sit there wanting to be literally anywhere else in the world.
This adaption of Wendy and Peter Pan is fantastic. Not only is it funny, spot on for the kids, visually brilliant and well acted, it’s really quite moving - to the point of tears for many - in the end. It raises questions about mortality, about depression and about loss. But it also has a lot of laughs and is a crowd pleaser for the young. A great job by all at the Lyceum theatre.
5/5
Stuart Kenny
The feminist theme is brought in more strongly in the second half, where Wendy asks why the boys get to have all the fun, and subsequently plotting. It's a good observation, and one that, since we'd be lying if we said we hadn't been wondering the same in the first half of the show, the play really couldn't have done without.
The play peaks late on, when Wendy and Peter talk about Tom, gazing at the stars, before a part-tragic, part-magical sequence that follows. The beauty of the building itself is even highlighted.
One of our favourite things about the Lyceum in Edinburgh is that whenever they do plays geared more towards children, they also remember to make sure that the play is still actually good, and can be enjoyed by adults as well. Like a Disney or Pixar film. It sounds obvious but we’ve seen one two many kids plays where they just fill it up with fart jokes, the kids laugh at a few, and their parents sit there wanting to be literally anywhere else in the world.
This adaption of Wendy and Peter Pan is fantastic. Not only is it funny, spot on for the kids, visually brilliant and well acted, it’s really quite moving - to the point of tears for many - in the end. It raises questions about mortality, about depression and about loss. But it also has a lot of laughs and is a crowd pleaser for the young. A great job by all at the Lyceum theatre.
5/5
Stuart Kenny
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