A big giant tent, or two (one for the bar), sits in Kensington Gardens this summer to host a new stage production of Peter Pan. I’ve never really thought about why there’s a bronze Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park. Apparently it was gifted to the park by J.M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan, inspired by his relationship with a family that began in Kensington Gardens. And now the circle is complete with the production of Peter Pan.

First the positive points. The theatre itself is cool, very cool. The stage is in the round so the audience sit pretty much all the away around it like a traditional circus. However, also wrapping around the upper half of the tent is a 360 degree screen on to which is projected the relevant background scene whether it’s the sky as the kids and Peter fly off to Neverland over London (truly spectacular), or the water as they sink to the depths of the ocean or the greenery of the jungle in Neverland. With the circus-theme to the tent there is also lots of acrobatics as the cast bounce up and around the tent.

My favourite cast member? The puppet dude especially his crocodile (remember the one with the clock as its heart and who eats Captain Hook’s arm) and the dog. Hilarious.

The negatives. Unfortunately, overall Peter Pan the play was a bit disappointing. I felt like it was filled with amateurish, obnoxious acting characters none of whom I felt any sympathy for. Maybe the only character I could feel any sympathy for was Captain Hook – and he’s supposed to be the bad guy. The opening scene, where Peter Pan is supposed to inspire the kids to fly with him to Neverland, was just a yawn-fest. After that at least it
became a bit more animated with the screen, changes of scenery and more flowing characters and, of course, the crocodile.

In addition to truly unlikable characters the story line felt quite bleak and nearly black. I’ve not read the original story by J.M. Barrie but if this production was a direct interpretation then it’s definitely not a story for kids. I found it a little hard to follow and felt it bordered on some very adult topics. The worst character was Tinkerbell who was a real b!tch I’m sorry to say, and Wendy and Peter weren’t exactly lovable either. In fact it was the relationship between Wendy and Peter which bordered on uncomfortable and weird. Then there was Tiger Lily – what the heck was up with that sexy dance she did for Peter – even Peter Pan looked perplexed!

For all the technology put into the tent it was surprising that the sound got lost a lot up in the tent ceiling so we didn’t always hear everything. It also didn’t help that there was a festival/concert going on nearby.

Did I hate it? No – that seems a bit extreme but I’m not really sure I could say that I particularly liked it either. Still, if you can find discount tickets, the theatre itself and the 360 degree screen is pretty cool.