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Theatre

London,

Peter Pan

Description: The magical and adventurous fantasy by J.M Barrie, with Katherine Kastin in the title role, and Peter Land as the evil, sinister Captain Hook.



Rating: 3 out of 5 Fiona Mountford's rating
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Dir: Stephanie Sinclaire, Mike Dixon (musical director), Marc Urquhart (choreographer).

Cast: Kathy Kastin, Peter Land, Rafaella Hutchinson

King's Head, Islington Upper Street, Islington, N1 1QN

Phone: 0207478 0160

Website: www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Email: info@kingsheadtheatre.org

Extra info: Pub, Party Hire

Transport: Tube: Angel/Highbury & Islington Transport for London , Tube / Bus: 4, 19, 30, 38, 43, 56, 73, 341, 476, N19, N38, N41, N73 Transport for London

Little room to grow up or sideways

Peter Pan
Confined space: Peter Pan (Katherine Kastin) and Tinkerbell (Talia Mehmet)

By Fiona Mountford
18 Dec 2006


Theatre-goers looking for the greatest density of actors per square metre in exchange for their pound should rest assured that the King's Head represents money well spent.

Stephanie Sinclaire, who directs her own appealing adaptation of Peter Pan, crams 25 performers into this tiny space, leading to much piratical rumbustiousness in between the bench seats.

Apart from the thrill of seeing this Islington venue become a producing house once more, the major draw is the chance to witness the stage premiere of Leonard Bernstein's nine songs and full score, which didn't all make it to Broadway in 1950.

Unfortunately, after this hearing, it's easy to see why no one has bothered to exhume them in the intervening 56 years. Katherine Kastin makes a perky Pan and Lisa Holliman a sweet-voiced Wendy. Peter Land could up Hook's malevolence levels; at the moment, he is outshone by an exuberant wig.

The Mouse Queen
Hampstead
****

There's squeaky-clean fun to be had at The Mouse Queen but, in this delightful combination of puppetry, acting and music, little Tilly Mouse develops an alarming cheese habit. It's a consequence of her audacious move to the Big City, in Ben Glasstone and Tim Kane's charming reworking of five of Aesop's fables.

Delicatessens should hire the actor-musicians in Steve Tiplady's tip-top production to stand outside their premises and croon the paean to cheese, just one of the original songs so hummable West End composers ought to take note.

Tilly starts off as a puppet, whose clever articulation means a wide range of affecting movements. Then Ruth Calkin takes over, to stand up to Kane's Leonard the Lion. Don't bother about a small child as a pretext: just go.

King's Head until 14 Jan (020 7226 1916). Hampstead until 6 Jan (020 7722 9301)

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.

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