Slapstick humour and magical costumes
As I settled into my seat, the general buzz of the audience was palpable. A wash of enchanting sapphire, shimmery silver and gold stars filled the theatre to create the effect of being in Neverland, or as they called it in this production, Foreverland. The Kings Theatre’s new production of Peter Pan offers audiences a refreshing take on the classic tale, originally written by JM Barrie in 1904.
There were some big names on stage: Swashbuckling Captain Hook is Shaun Williamson, best known for his character ‘Barry’ in Eastenders, and James ‘Arg’ Agent is Peter Pan. The pair's notable villain-hero répartie and rivalry was brilliantly entertaining for all the audience but the Pompey Panto wouldn’t be complete without the legendary local Jack Edward as Mrs Smee.
Kickstarting the voyage, we were fully immersed as the show opened with Queen’s We Will Rock You — a great way to grab the audience's attention and drown the last strand of conversation.
Kids seemed to love the slapstick humour and the magical costumes, with one boy in front of us standing on his seat to get a better view of the chaos on stage. The adult humour and occasional political joke brought laughs from even the most Scrooge-like members of the family. The actors were animated, energetic and comical and had my belly hurting from all the laughter by the end of it.
A notable mention was the excellent junior and dancing ensemble cast, who in my opinion, really made the show. The ensemble and the cast did an extraordinary job of hyping up the audience, who by the end of it were all dancing and singing along to the YMCA. Any moments that went wrong (let’s just say that Mrs Smee never got fully dressed for the occasion) were tastefully covered up by the audience and only made the audience laugh even more.
To watch this excellent show for yourself the performance is on from now until Sunday 31st December. Tickets+ are from just £10 so this is an adventure you and your friends don’t want to miss!
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