Anton Du Beke and Paul Chuckle are the comedy duo you never knew you needed in this fun filled take on Peter Pan – even if the story is rushed through to get to the fun.
Yes its that time of year at Woking with the arrival of Peter Pan flying into the New Victoria Theatre until the 7th January 2024 with a cast including Paul Chuckle, Anton Du Beke, Nigel Ellacott and Bob Harms. It is a lively and colourful affair directed and choreographed by Alan Burkitt that makes it feel more like a variety show to showcase the talent of the cast – but yet loses the heart of the story somewhat.
It would be fair to say that the majority of the story is covered in the first fast paced act that dives straight into Peter Pan taking Wendy, Michael & John to Neverland for adventures that sees them trying to outwit the notorious Captain Hook. This lack of build up to the adventure does hamper the audience getting to know the main characters better and they do feel slightly sidestepped in contrast to lesser known characters such as Starkey and Mrs Smee, with familiar moments being cut altogether – yet at the same time it means that the audience can simply have fun and enjoy the performances.
The cast all deliver some wonderful and engaging performances – which is not surprising given the experience that some of them have had in this area (not least the wonderful Paul Chuckle and Nigel Ellacott), really bringing the characters to life in a vibrant way. While some of the humour might seem more adult based than normal (the cucumber magic trick is one cheeky example) there is still plenty for the kids in the audience to enjoy at the same time, with plenty of familiar jokes thrown in along the way.
Story aside, this is a pantomime that has clearly been built around its central stars. There is a lovely moment in which Anton Du Beke gets to glide around the stage in a lovely dance routine towards the end of the first act, while Paul Chuckle gets to put his comedy skills to good use throughout. Together Du Beke and Chuckle are the comedy duo you never knew you needed – their partnership really works here, providing delight and joy to audiences from start to finish and bouncing off each other beautifully. Other highlight moments in the show include a lip sync scene that has been very cleverly put together, while the pantomime’s take of 12 days of Christmas is as chaotic as you would expect.
A shout out should go to Teresa Nalton & Ron Briggs’s costume designs – particularly for Nigel Ellacott’s Mrs Smee which seem to get increasingly elaborate and impressive as the show goes on – making it one of the most anticipated costume changes I have seen due to this. Ellacott’s performance really shows just how much he enjoys pantomimes, creating an easy rapport with the audience and keeping them thoroughly engaged from start to finish.
Elsewhere, Chloe Riley is making her professional debut and delivers a bright and breezy performance as Wendy, Georgia Brierly-Smith is suitably lively and spirited as Tinker Bell (with a fantastic singing voice), Archie Durrant makes for a strong and capable Peter Pan and Bob Harms is clearly relishing his role as Captain Hook, giving him a suitable sneer and playing up to the audience’s chorus of boos delightfully.
While narratively this isn’t the strongest adaptation of Peter Pan, what it does offer in abundance is plenty of Christmas joy that will delight audiences of all ages.
By Emma Clarendon
Peter Pan continues to play at the New Victoria Theatre until the 7th January 2024.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐