Peter Pan Goes Wrong Playhouse Theatre Edinburgh 27th February 2024 Review
Peter Pan Goes Wrong is at the Playhouse Theatre Edinburgh until Saturday 02 March and if you are in the mood for a post-Christmas pantomime that is not, we are all told throughout the show, a pantomime then this is probably the show for you.
This production is of course more than another Peter Pan pantomime and this play (let’s not forget that this is what Peter Pan was originally) by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of the Mischief Theatre Company is a perfect example of how the company have really cornered the market for this type of production (also with other shows including “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “The Comedy About A Bank Robbery) and along the way created a very successful theatrical format that has entertained audiences in over 35 countries so far.
This show was originally produced in 2015, and judging by the reactions of many of the people in the audience tonight it has lost none of its original appeal as classic comedy sight gags, a little bit of pantomime, a lively script with something for every age group in it, and a cast that know how to get the best out of that script and an audience works so well, particularly on a night like this where pretty much everyone in the theatre seemed to be running along with the show in at time “audience participation mode”.
The attention to detail in this production is impressive as Mischief Productions alter ego for this show, Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, continue their on stage chaos into the theatre programme itself. Is this production and programme by Mischief Productions or Cornley Polytechnic Drama? Sometimes that line becomes very blurred. Equally impressive here is the technical team that built this set and all of its planned to the second mischief, chaos and failures, and every member of this cast needs to know exactly where they should be on stage at any given moment in this production to make this type of comedy work and to stay safe on stage.
Picking any one person out on a show like this is unfair as Peter Pan Goes Wrong is very much a collaborative production where no one is more important or given any more prominence than anyone else. Here the on stage and off stage team either work perfectly together or the whole show falls apart.
There are still a few elements that for me need updated in this show. The scene where no one can understand what the pirate is saying goes on far too long, particularly as the end joke is pretty obvious. Are we not past the time when not being able to understand how someone speaks is considered funny? The same is true for some of the visual disability gags, again all too often no longer funny. For me the pantomime element of this show could be toned down a little too as the production is simply far better at what it does best, on stage chaos with a very tight and funny script that captures all that was best in those classic comedy farces of years gone by. Some of the visual gags are at times a little over-used too.
In the end though, as usual with any Mischief Production, this show does what good theatre does best, simply to entertain its audience and for a few hours replace any troubles that they may have outside of it with lots of smiles and laughter inside - a perfect medication–free solution to any blues that you might be feeling.
One little note. If you can, try to get to your seats a little early as the Mischief Productions mayhem starts a little bit before the actual on stage production does.
Review by Tom King ©2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
This production is of course more than another Peter Pan pantomime and this play (let’s not forget that this is what Peter Pan was originally) by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of the Mischief Theatre Company is a perfect example of how the company have really cornered the market for this type of production (also with other shows including “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “The Comedy About A Bank Robbery) and along the way created a very successful theatrical format that has entertained audiences in over 35 countries so far.
This show was originally produced in 2015, and judging by the reactions of many of the people in the audience tonight it has lost none of its original appeal as classic comedy sight gags, a little bit of pantomime, a lively script with something for every age group in it, and a cast that know how to get the best out of that script and an audience works so well, particularly on a night like this where pretty much everyone in the theatre seemed to be running along with the show in at time “audience participation mode”.
The attention to detail in this production is impressive as Mischief Productions alter ego for this show, Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, continue their on stage chaos into the theatre programme itself. Is this production and programme by Mischief Productions or Cornley Polytechnic Drama? Sometimes that line becomes very blurred. Equally impressive here is the technical team that built this set and all of its planned to the second mischief, chaos and failures, and every member of this cast needs to know exactly where they should be on stage at any given moment in this production to make this type of comedy work and to stay safe on stage.
Picking any one person out on a show like this is unfair as Peter Pan Goes Wrong is very much a collaborative production where no one is more important or given any more prominence than anyone else. Here the on stage and off stage team either work perfectly together or the whole show falls apart.
There are still a few elements that for me need updated in this show. The scene where no one can understand what the pirate is saying goes on far too long, particularly as the end joke is pretty obvious. Are we not past the time when not being able to understand how someone speaks is considered funny? The same is true for some of the visual disability gags, again all too often no longer funny. For me the pantomime element of this show could be toned down a little too as the production is simply far better at what it does best, on stage chaos with a very tight and funny script that captures all that was best in those classic comedy farces of years gone by. Some of the visual gags are at times a little over-used too.
In the end though, as usual with any Mischief Production, this show does what good theatre does best, simply to entertain its audience and for a few hours replace any troubles that they may have outside of it with lots of smiles and laughter inside - a perfect medication–free solution to any blues that you might be feeling.
One little note. If you can, try to get to your seats a little early as the Mischief Productions mayhem starts a little bit before the actual on stage production does.
Review by Tom King ©2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com