Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
A personalised, immersive experience that lives up to its magical name. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Neverland immerses the audience into the world of festival-goers, and the show starts as soon as the audience walks through the front door. Along the way, a news reporter and TikTok content creator interrupt your journey to the auditorium, and there is even a drunk man passed out on the floor to bar your way.
Six actors work closely together on this devised performance. Beginning with what feels like an interrogation by a stern and intense security guard (Yuqi Liang), audience members are asked to interact with each other to foster their newfound friendship. Although somewhat awkward at the start, Liang’s expressionless delivery and seriousness quickly turn this into a rather fun and enjoyable experience as we wait for the show to begin.
Hippy dippy Rea (Brooke Camilleri Agius) gives us a flavour of some of the people that attend festivals, including alcohol- and drug-fuelled partygoers, ‘safety first’ and responsible mums, and solo content creators. The actors emerge from a tent in the corner of the stage and as this is connected to the stage door the illusion is created that the festival tents can contain much more than is actually physically possible. Given the diversity of the people Rea describes, the show does a remarkable job at bringing every audience member, whether they have been to a festival or not, on this journey. Of note, ‘happy to be here’ Eddie (Paddy Lintin) describes how his friends focus on their jobs rather than having fun, and how festivals re-ignite that good feeling in him, even if he has to go back to his other responsibilities after; a point which will resonate with many people. Despite Lintin’s funny delivery, this section of the show is a little too long and would benefit from being condensed.
Despite the fact that the focal point of the show centres around the people, a festival is not complete without the music. Birthday boy Connor (Drew Gregg), accompanied by DJ Dee Jay (Ansh Mehta), gives a rather sensational rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams as part of the festival experience.
This show makes use of a collection of clothing to create a hypothetical individual that wanders across the festival, serving as a link between the various different people encountered along the way. While this is a clever mechanism to join up the otherwise distinct pieces of puzzle, the specific purpose of this floating figure isn’t immediately clear and it takes a little while before the purpose it serves becomes clear. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see an actor donning all the different pieces of clothing, potentially signalling the completion of the experience, coming in to dance their night away and concluding the show.
When asked what the most memorable or crazy experience each festival-goer has experienced, the actors each pick a piece of paper from a hat containing a story the audience members have shared with the news reporter when they headed toward the auditorium. Using the stories as a backbone, the actors spin more elaborate tales based on their imagination, to draw the audience in for a last hurrah before the show finishes.
Act II Festival’s Neverland goes that extra length to make sure everyone is having fun, facilitating the formation of new friendships and memories. Through their innovative interactions with the audience and superb improvisation, this show is personalised and immersive, creating a memorable and magical experience that befits its magical name.
Devised by: Gabriele Osella, Amy Tickner and the Cast (Brooke Camilleri Agius, Maddie Elle Dunn, Drew Gregg, Yuqi Liang, Paddy Lintin, Ansh Mehta)
Directed by: Amy Tickner
Produced by: Act II
Neverland plays at Lion and Unicorn Theatre until 28 October. Further information and bookings can be found here.
