6 – 11 November
Mischief Theatre’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong is full of contradictions, for it is a depiction of crass amateurism delivered with polished professionalism. We see the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ embark upon a perilously over-ambitious production of Peter Pan, and what follows is an abundance of meticulously planned mayhem and precisely choreographed clumsiness. Even before the action properly commences, apologetic backstage staff wielding a long electrical cable clamber over seats in the stalls in their effort to sort out a lighting problem. One cast member suffers from paralysing stage fright, and another has no memory for his lines, so they are fed to him via headphones. It is all too clear that nothing is going to go right.
At the heart of the chaos lies Simon Scullion’s elaborate set design, featuring the Darling children’s bedroom, a forest, a lagoon and a pirate ship, set on a revolve. It all looks as solid as a rock, but looks can be deceptive. Bunk beds collapse on their occupants, bits of scenery wobble and fall, and the pirate ship proves to be dangerously unstable. Much of the comedy arises from the cast struggling to retain some sense of dignity in the face of all these disasters. The show must go on, even if it is proving increasingly difficult to ignore an electrocuted Tinkerbell (Jamie Birkett) lying centre stage. Affronted dignity is also seen in Jack Michael Stacey’s portrayal of an angry actor very reluctant to have his Captain Hook dismissed as a mere pantomime villain. Last night’s audience gleefully punctured such pretension. Not a pantomime? ‘Oh yes it is!’ His increasing frustration while attempting to open a bottle of poison with his hook is a joy to behold.
A key element in any production of Peter Pan must be Peter’s ability to fly. Spoof programme notes reveal that two days before opening night ‘no Flying Operator has been found.’
In consequence the flying is wonderfully inept, with Peter (Gareth Tempest) violently hoisted aloft, often upside-down and at the wrong moment. Physical comedy such as this features throughout the show, much of it requiring considerable courage. The timing is of the split-second variety, but there is never a sense of the comedy having been over-rehearsed; everything appears fresh and spontaneous.
The emphasis is unashamedly on the physical comedy and sight gags. However, there is a backstory involving a romantic liaison between the actors playing Peter and Wendy, and there is a further complication when Peter and Tinkerbell take a shine to each other. At least, I am pretty sure that is what happens, but amid all the confusion it was hard to tell.
Writers Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields have gone all-out for laughs right from the get- go, and they have succeeded admirably in creating a show that offers non-stop fun. Everything ‘goes wrong’, so you just know that Nana the Newfoundland (Matthew Howell) will get stuck in the dog flap and that every prop will fail.
But under Adam Meggido’s adroit direction the action moves along at such a pace that no gag seems too predictable. Sustained madcap silliness can become tedious and shapeless, but here there is just about enough fidelity to J M Barrie’s original story to bring some narrative structure to all the chaos. Perhaps some of the comedy overstays its welcome a little, but Peter Pan Goes Wrong is undoubtedly one of the funniest plays you are likely to see. It has been going strong for ten years, and many more years of laughter surely lie ahead.
★★★★☆ Mike Whitton, 7 November, 2023
Photo credit: Pamela Raith Photograhy
