Pan! Peter’s come out to play @ theatre Peckham

Pan! Peter’s Come Out to Play is an exciting, festive show, handmade in southeast London. It is so wonderful to see local productions come to life in such innovation and imaginary plot twists. Theatre Peckham is certainly the right venue for this show, with presentation and accessibility always considered. Entering the venue, we enter the world of the show in a heartwarming foyer as our departure gate to Neverland.

The show follows the tale of the boy who never grew up, reimagined for modern-day audiences. We follow Wendy and Peter (along with his trusty steel pan drum!) as they journey from the streets of Peckham to the marvellous Caribbean island of Neverland. Amongst the sounds of reggae, soca and old-school soul, Peter and the lost boys revel in the joy of music, dance and video games as they evade the pressures of adulthood. But what happens when life catches up? This is Peter Pan as you’ve never seen before.

The creative team for PAN! includes: 

• Geoff Aymer: Writer and lyricist

• Jordan Xavier: Composer

• Suzann McLean: Director

• Bob Sterrett: Designer

• Jazz Deer-Olafa: Choreographer

• Chuma Emembolu: Lighting designer

• Sasha Howe: Sound designer

• Ben Christopher: Musical director

  Leading Cast:

  • Tyler Ephraim: Peter Pan (aka Double P)

  • Adryne Caulder-James: Wendy

  • Billy Lynch: Greg/Hook

  • Krishana Parker: Marcia Darling/High Councillor Lillian

Before looking into the performances within the show, I would love to give a personal shoutout to set and lighting; As wonderful as Theatre Peckham is, the venue could have been quite tricky - considering the size of the cast and the use of different platform levels. The work on the set is brilliant and efficient, lacking any sense of over-crowding the stage and making the most of every inch. Furthermore, the lighting does wonders to create illusionary scenes and allow for smooth changes - it really makes a difference in a smaller size venue where the audience is so intimately present in each transition. The overall production acquires a distinct Peckham-esque and southeast London energy, which is just wonderful to see on stage. Representation and diversity are showcased and a sense of home is transmitted to the audience.

In terms of the performances, Ephraim, as Peter, does a great job at engaging with the audience, particularly in his acting and movement, and delivers a re-imagination of the classic character that is relatable and edgy. Caulder as Wendy serves graceful vocals and effortless acting choices, offering a fine balance of maturity and being a dreamer; a wonderful role model for young audiences. Although, the attempted romantic side-story between Wendy and Peter felt a bit awkward, and perhaps could be explored more; it feels like there is not as much material focusing solely on the two of them, so every time it comes up it can give off a forced portrayal.

The main aspect of the show that requires polishment and cleaning is the choreography; the show has great potential for a bigger scale too, so the more attention to detail the better. There are some amazing ideas and music to work with for a story like this in fantasy sequences. The flying illusion, with -what I am assuming was- a 1-point harness, worked great and really gave the impression of flying; there is definitely more to play with, especially if there is a future opportunity to work with aerial equipment. However, there seemed to be an issue within that sequence as one of the actors experienced a costume malfunction; That should not have been the focus, or nevertheless a moment of breaking character, ever. I am a firm believer that no matter the size of the production, venue or role, there is never a reason to draw attention to an unfortunate event, such as a costume malfunction. Things do happen, of course, but an actor goes with it in a professional manner and saves it without drawing too much focus. It feels unfair to bring this up on a children’s Christmas show (which is why I am not specifying the nature of the issue or naming the performer in question) but breaking character is quite literally the number 1 rule of any performance, regardless of unexpected situations like this.

The highlight of the evening was the undeniable, triple-threat talent of Billy Lynch. I could write a whole separate entry for Mr Lynch’s performance alone; his persona of Captain Hook was owned and embraced as he unapologetically hooked the audience with his every line or gesture. Particularly, his solo as Hook in Act 2 was my favourite performance of the show, dropping finesse with lines such as ‘I smell joy’. Furthermore, his portrayal of the dad was hilarious and crisp, with a hint of campness that the audience could do nothing but adore.

The virtual reality of a video game within the show is an intelligent approach that could be explored more and overall, the show makes some excellent points and portrays meaningful narratives for young audiences. The coordination on the fight scene was particularly notable, giving off a grasping effect.

Pan! can definitely afford to mention Christmas a bit more, as we barely have a connection of the tale to the festive period, other than the family inviting the Neverland kids to Christmas dinner in the last few minutes of the show. Regardless, it is still an educational, inspiring, magical night at the theatre for both the children who wish to go to Neverland and the adults who wish to reminisce on it…