Review: Traditional story given a new angle
Charles Essex reviews Wendy and Peter Pan, presented by The Talisman Youth Theatre at the Talisman Theatre, Kenilworth
This alternate look at JM Barrie’s well known Peter Pan story was written by Ella Hickson, and could be subtitled Wendy’s story.
The play started with an event ignored in the Disney and film versions, the death of the youngest Darling child, and the subsequent sadness and strife within the family. This gave the opportunity for the characters of the Darling children, John (Evie Bates), Wendy (Olivia Leaf) and Michael (Oscar Wilson), to be established.
Olivia imbued Wendy with a boldness and assertiveness. Alannah Harris (Tink) was fractious with a teenager’s truculence, matched by the perverseness of Tiger Lily (Lucy Henderson). Hannah McDermott gave Peter Pan the right amount of schoolboy enthusiasm and Matthew Jolliffe was wonderfully menacing as Captain Hook. Matthew’s projection was ideal. With the sell-out audience ranging in ages from primary school to grandparents, there was a delightful pantomime feel to the evening with Hook as the villain.
This large cast were well rehearsed and their movement around the stage, when there were sometimes at least ten actors on stage, was a tribute to the work of movement coordinator Elysia Sully and fight coordinator James Harris. The Darling children flying away to Neverland was ingeniously achieved. There was an unexpected but well performed dance to a hornpipe. Director Ellie Wellicome used the ensemble as scene changers as well, which they carried out fluently and speedily. James also designed the set and it cleverly converted from the Darling family home to pirate ship and the Lost Boys’ home.
Hickson’s script had some witty dialogue. A number of the cast struggled with projection of their voices, and from overheard comments at the interval and the end, this was an issue for the audience as it meant following the plot was patchy at times. That does not overshadow that the cast and crew of the Youth Theatre deserve recognition for delivering an uplifting feel good production which clearly delighted the loyal Talisman audience.