This is my review of The New Adventures of Peter Pan at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester.
The story begins the day after Captain Hook is eaten by the crocodile. Happiness reigns supreme across the island of Neverland, Peter Pan and his Lost Boys live in peace and just 24 hours after Hook’s defeat, the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship has become a pirate-free tourist attraction called The Neverland Amusements, run by Captain Smee and his widowed mother Sherry. But the bitter and vengeful villain Hook gets vomited back up by the crocodile and sends Neverland into chaos; happy thoughts are under threat and the fairy dust is about to run out! Tinkerbell decides to return to the human world to get Wendy Darling back to help, but because so much time has passed it is Wendy’s granddaughter that she meets and must persuade to travel back with her to help.
The set design is a technicolour explosion of all the wonder possible that you could expect to see in Neverland. The main location in the pantomime is set on the deck of the Jolly Roger. The colour palette of the repainted woodwork and garish fairground style signs link with the Smee’s costumes, which must have been inspired by the kind of garish seaside tatt and merchandise you can find in any British seaside town. In true pantomime dame style, Sherry Smee and her son Smee have put their own spin on traditional pirate attire with zebra print, ice cream stealing seagulls, parrots, and an overload of clashing fabrics. The Lost Children’s costumes are inspired by the multicoloured flora and fauna of Neverland. Peter Pan’s hair is pointy with blue glittered tips, and Captain Hook is a flamboyant and vicious villain wearing gold, stripes, brocade and deep crimson reds. There are even zombie pirates with the same extravagant flair for rhinestones!
The key to any successful pantomime lies with the traditional Pantomime Dame. For the Mercury Theatre, this has been played by Anthony Stuart-Hicks for as long as I can remember. There is also a side kick played by Dale Superville. They work brilliantly as a comedy duo, and watching the Dame, Sherry Smee, heckle the audience in the first half of the show always makes me laugh. Those fortunate enough (or unfortunate, depending on your perspective) to be in one of the front rows are always at risk of getting singled out for attention. Dale Superville’s physical comedy as the Dame’s sidekick never fails to make me laugh, and this year he didn’t disappoint. There is a scene where he plays a little mermaid called Persil where he had the whole theatre roaring with laughter at his inability to get on a rock. Later in the show, the maritime themed Twelve Days of Christmas is sheer genius and the traditional sing-a-long featuring the word ‘poo’ was so funny I almost fell off my chair! The only mild disappointment was the usually fabulous panto ‘slosh scene’ which was a little underwhelming.
This really did feel like a theatrical treat. The audience is as much a part of the show as the actors on stage. The wonderful performances, sensational scenery and a Panto Dame like no other are all what made this Panto a success. If going to the Panto is one of your Christmas traditions, as it is mine, I highly recommend going to see it.
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