Flying – or, more accurately, crashing – into Sheffield this week came Mischief Theatre’s Peter Pan Goes Wrong, a comedic spin on J.M. Barrie’s iconic children’s novel Peter Pan. As the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society assembles to debut their new production – one up from last year’s Jack and the Bean, but this time given a boosted budget, we are reassured – it’s clear all is not plain sailing. Think of anything that can go wrong in theatre and it’s here, from missed lines and disintegrating props and set to, at the most extreme end, lights falling down, actors set on fire and being incapacitated through bangs, crashes, wallops, and an out-of-control revolving set. It’s every actor’s worst nightmare.
Thankfully for any theatre students in the audience, Peter Pan Goes Wrong rollicks by with such fun and playfulness that once you’ve recovered from one bout of laughter, you’re well into the next. Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields have created a play now into its 10th year of life and, perhaps thanks to its simple premise and ample opportunities for performers, it shows no signs of expiring. We were treated to pre-show shenanigans with stage managers and cast interacting with the audience, with Peter Pan himself (Gareth Tempest) even giving me an autograph! This spirit of revelry continued throughout the play and went some way to summoning my inner child in the delightful panto call-and-responses, much to the irritation of ‘serious’ company director Chris Bean (Jack Michael Stacey) who is very keen to remind us that this is not a pantomime (‘Oh yes it is!’ came the response, louder each time).
Each cast member was very memorable, handling the tricky task of playing both a Cornley member and their Barrie character, though inevitably the two are confused. Jean-Luke Worrell’s Francis (the narrator) earned howls of laughter for his energy, glitter throwing and equally impressive turn as a pirate. Theo Toksvig-Stewart’s Max, playing both human child and crocodile, delighted the audience as a sympathetic love rival to Tempest’s Jonathan/Peter Pan. The joy of seeing Max glide across the stage as a benevolent crocodile is a theatre experience unlike any others I’ve had in recent memory. Watching the audience build up a repartee with him, cheering him on, was a delight.
Like Michael Frayn’s ‘Noises Off’, we are treated to a host of rivalries, squabbles and backstage fiascos (almost literally with the rotating set revealing more than we should see). Rosemarie Akwafo’s Lucy has stage fright and suffers her fair share of injuries; Jamie Birkett’s Annie manages reality-defying costume changes as three different characters; and Ciara Morris as Sandra, playing Wendy, has a backstage romance with Peter Pan himself. That the play balances these character details with the slapstick farce happening right in front of us is a great strength, ensuring they propel rather than distract from the giggles.
The show-stopping finale, making good use of Simon Scullion’s rotating set, descends into glorious chaos and is a perfect cap to an evening’s farce. However, for all the laughs, there is, through Adam Meggido’s direction, a tender resolution to the play that leaves you with a warm glow to take home. With its combination of cheeky fun, spectacular comic timing and brilliant design and direction, plus a bit of fairy dust, this play gets ‘going wrong’ very right.
Rating: ★★★★★
