Review of The New Adventures of Peter Pan at Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

As if by magic, the pantomime season is once again upon us, and first out of the Christmas hamper of "He's Behind You" antics is The New Adventures of Peter Pan, now playing at The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough. So, do the pantomime gods shine down on this new show, or is it about to get panned? Let us find out.

Brought to the stage by producer and director Martin Cleverley, The New Adventures of Peter Pan provides little new to the age-old tale of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan but ploughs through much of the expected pantomime staples. So, expect to see a dame, in the guise of Mrs Smee, those as mentioned earlier "He's Behind You" antics, a nice sing-along, and some awkward or successful audience participation, depending on the show you see. Oh, and of course, The Twelve Days of Christmas and a jolly party at the end, as always. When you have seen one pantomime, you have seen the format forever.

However, The New Adventures of Peter Pan is nicely entertaining, if just a little below the standard of last year's The Castle offering of Cinderella. One cast member back from last year's show is Jack Trinder, this time in the title role. However, sadly, he is woefully underused following his excellent performance last year, and it is really disappointing. What he has to do once again is performed with aplomb and with a twinkle in the eye as ever.

Also, back from last year and much more stage time than Trinder is Gary L. Johnson, back playing the dame, here as Mrs Smee. He is a confident performer and is at ease with the audience and events that may or may not be meant to be happening. He also has an excellent connection with his audience victim of the night, Rupert/Lee/Roger (you had to be there).

Daniel Taylor, as Captain Hook, brings a larger-than-life presence to the stage. While he may have shown some nerves or uncertainty during the opening show, it's clear that he has the potential to grow in confidence and dedication as the run progresses and he gets his teeth further into the role.

The show features a fantastic trio of support actors, all of whom have three characters of their own. First, we have Elizabeth Bright as Mrs. Darling, Henri, and, most effectively, Mia the Mermaid. As Mia, Bright leads a mostly successful mermaid-themed take on Barbie, which is sure to thrill the audiences during the run. However, they may have to cut back on the dry ice, or there will be a national shortage.

Second, we have the delightful and enthusiastic Laura-Jayne Woods as Jonsey, Mercedes, and the especially overacting Starkey the Pirate. Finally, of the trio, there is the superb Aiden Dunlop, who steals many a scene as Stinky the Pirate, Brian, and Myrtle. Fabulous!

Elsewhere, Holly Topping is a lovely, endearing Wendy, and during this performance, Team Yellow put on confident performances with Ameera Taylor as Michael and Ethan White-Robinson as John.

On opening night, a few technical issues slowed the show down at times, as well as the usual script fumbles, which may be deliberately there; it is difficult to know with a pantomime. What did feel real was a few moments of uncertainty, which should iron out smoothly as the show continues through its run. However, the lucky thing with a panto is that stumbles rarely matter.

The New Adventures of Peter Pan is great fun, if less successful than last year. It will benefit from better audiences during the run rather than the slightly flat one it received on opening night. Any families looking for a great value, family-friendly panto this holiday season will do no worse than a trip to The Castle this year.

Plenty of entertainment for all the family to get hooked on.
⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Saturday, 30th November 2024, at Castle Theatre, Wellingborough.

The New Adventures of Peter Pan runs at Castle Theatre until Tuesday, 30th November 2023.

Further details about Castle Theatre can be found at www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/castle-theatre