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Peter Pan

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Kensington Gardens
Princes Square, W2 4NJ

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Dir: Ben Harrison.
Cast: Itxaso Moreno, Ciaran Kellgren, Karen Ascoe, Arthur Wilson, David Poynor, Abbey Ford, Jonathan Hude


Description: Tanya Ronder's adaptation of JM Barrie's children's story about the boy who never grew up.


Trains: Tube: Bayswater/Queensway; Bus: 9, 10, 27, 28, 31, 49, 52, 70, 94, 148, 274, 360, 390 Overground network

Phone: 0207298 2000
Website: www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/
Email: kensington@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk

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Peter Pan gets back to his roots in Kensington Gardens

By Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard  11.06.09
 
Peter Pan

Old enemies: Peter Pan (Ciaran Kellgren) and Captain Hook (Jonathan Hyde)

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For too long now, Peter Pan has been siphoned off into the strange theatrical neverland of pantomime, always starring, to my mind at least, Bonnie Langford. Here, though, it’s come home, both as a straight play and by, literally, pitching tent in Kensington Gardens, the location that inspired JM Barrie more than100 years ago.

This swanky 1,000-seater rainproof big top provides an appealing in-the-round setting not only for the action itself but also for a 360-degree cyclorama of CGI designs, expertly created by William Dudley. Thus when it comes to the all-important flying, we can follow the soaring Wendy, John and Michael over London rooftops and through an Edwardian cityscape, straight past Nelson’s hat at the top of the column and round the dome of St Paul’s.

On the ground, however, the going gets tougher. Adaptor Tanya Ronder can’t surmount Pan’s persistent problem of strong opening and closing scenes supporting a lot of amorphous Neverland narrative, leavened only by Jonathan Hyde’s nicely droll Captain Hook.

Ben Harrison’s production provides the crucial undercurrent of Wendy’s burgeoning sexual desires and Peter’s insistent denial of the same, even when Tigerlily does a pole dance without the pole to thank him for saving her life, yet it’s hard to feel entirely immersed in this quiet tragedy of lost childhood.

Ciaran Kellgren gives Peter real grace, and Abby Ford’s Wendy takes to her newly permitted task of bossing the boys about with gusto. Tinkerbell (Itxaso Moreno) is no longer a dart of light but a grubby, scowling creature in a dirty pink tutu, who is nonetheless skilled in the aerial sequences.

It’s without doubt an accomplished evening but an extra fairy dust sprinkling of charm over Barrie’s old stamping ground wouldn’t hurt.

Until 30 August (0871 386 1122, www.visitlondon.com/peterpan).

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