'National Theatre Live: Peter Pan' (2017)
Opening thoughts: JM Barrie's 'Peter Pan' is a timeless classic, especially for the iconic titular character, the sense of wonder and the complex character of Captain Hook. Some elements may be seen as problematic today, such as the portrayal of Tiger Lily and the Indians. The book has been adapted many times on film and on stage, with the Disney film, the 2003 film and the Cathy Rigby and Mary Martin musical adaptations (there's another lesser known one with Danny Kaye as Hook) immediately springing to mind.
This National Theatre Live production to me was very good and at its best truly excellent. Definitely a more than worthy version of the story of the Boy Who Never Grew Up. 'Peter Pan' is not quite one of the best productions of National Theatre Live's Season 8, it's not quite 'No Man's Land', 'Yerma' or 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf', but it does the book justice and stays true in spirit to it and the basic essence of the characters. Even with obvious differences in staging.
Bad things: It is not a perfect production. Some of the effects are less than special or even great, with a very basic looking crocodile.
A couple of the songs go on a little too long and slow the momentum a little.
Good things: However, on the whole the production looks good. Even when minimalist, especially in the first half an hour, the costumes and sets do a great job showing the wonders of Neverland with vibrant colour done by the characters themselves and also the darker, more melancholic elements of the story with a simpler colour scheme. The music on the whole is beautifully varied and catchy, while also having the memorability factor.
Barrie's prose really comes to life in the writing and the staging very rarely loses energy and has a real playfulness and wit as well as the right amount of tension. It also doesn't forget the story's heart or melancholy, especially obvious in the poignant final scene. Have no fault with the performances and this is also a case of the gender reversal conceit working well (here with a male Nana, a male Tinkerbell and a female Hook), something that has been more frequent over the years on stage and with variable success.
Was thinking it wouldn't, especially with Hook, but it does. The best performances come from Saikat Ahamed's hilarious Tinkerbell and Anna Francolini's truly terrifying Hook (the beginning of Act 2 is surprisingly dark). Paul Hilton may be too old for Peter, but he sticks loyally to the spirit of the character, embodying the playfulness, the arrogance and the heroism. Madeleine Worall is charming and affecting as Wendy, and the production solves the issue of how to portray Tiger Lily.
Concluding thoughts: Summing up, very good and often excellent.
8/10.
