Review: Wendy & Peter Pan, The Barbican

Ella Hickson‘s Wendy & Peter Pan reimagines JM Barrie’s classic, putting Wendy (Hannah Saxby) centre stage. Peter Pan is already a dark story, and here it’s made darker by framing it around a quest to reclaim a brother lost to illness and heal a family struggling with grief. A parallel exploration of Wendy’s parents’ marital difficulties brings additional trauma. However, with magnificently ambitious staging and an athletic cast, there’s razzamataz aplenty to distract from this, creating a vibrantly impressive, at times surreally Alice in Wonderland spectacle.

Colin Richmond’s design work is wondrous, as the nursery setting shifts to encompass multiple locations, beautifully lit by amazing lighting from Oliver Fenwick. We’re treated to a vast, mobile pirate ship, confetti cannons, explosions and a starlit atmosphere. There’s a talented, committed cast whose movement work is simply fabulous, Lucy Hind’s exceptional choreography filling the stage with motion, while Terry King’s fight direction brings huge energy to the production. There is breathtaking aerial work: you’d certainly believe a Pan can fly, and Daniel Krikler does so superbly, literally supported at times by a brilliant ensemble who effortlessly lift him and other characters, creating the illusion of flight. It’s all done BIG, and the style feels rather like an ATG pantomime; loud and showy. If that’s what you’re hoping for from your family show, it delivers in shed loads.  

However, the underlying premise of a ‘feminist remake’ doesn’t really pull through. There’s certainly a strong message that girls are expected to grow up quicker than boys, but although Wendy is the protagonist, her status is repeatedly undercut. She’s put in a glamorous dress against her will, but never refutes it and ultimately resembles a ragged Disney princess; we repeatedly hear she’s moany; she adopts male violence to win. Even after her triumph, female agency is diminished by John still expecting a wife to iron his handkerchiefs. Alongside this, we encounter a range of stereotyping that sees the more sensitive or camp characters dismissed or killed off without having any real impact, and the humour sprinkled throughout the violent drama is also at times questionably outdated.

From another perspective, the theme of battling with death is at the heart of this already dark show.  There’s an extra Lost Boy, but also some brutal acts include a pirate being disposably murdered and the bold Tiger Lily bumped off in a quick and forgettable moment. Some of the vulnerability revealed in the original is lost in this take. Even the Tinkerbell poison scene draws the audience into a panto-esque engagement that denies space for grieving and understanding what sacrifice she’s made and the impact it has on Peter, forced to take responsibility and heal her. 

Toby Stephens plays a panto Captain Hook and Mr Darling, both concerned about youth. It ends up feeling ageist (it’s actually possible to be both old and playful) and sometimes unclear which character’s thoughts are being channelled. You’d then think Mrs Darling (played with elegant confidence by Lolita Chakrabarti) would be a visible figure in his struggle with marital difficulties, but Hook/Mr Darling is given more presence, and she’s barely on the stage. She appears late on, saying she’s got a job sewing (not trashing any gender stereotypes there) and has made friends with Suffragettes. It hints at a brighter future for women, but it is not what you’d call powerful. 

The story is certainly flawed, meaning the production offers more style over substance, but this is nonetheless an impressive show offering a lot of bang for your buck by way of spectacle. And it’s hard not to be impressed by that.

Producer: The Royal Shakespeare Company
Director: Jonathan Munby
Set & Costume Design: Colin Richmond  
Choreography: Lucy Hind  
Music: Shuhei Kamimura  
Sound Design: Christopher Shutt  
Lighting Design: Oliver Fenwick  
Video Design: Taiki Ueda  
Fight Director: Terry King   
Casting Director: Annelie Powell CDG  
Associate Director: Ellie Taylor  
Butoh Consultant: Ikuyo Kuroda  

Wendy & Peter Pan plays at Barbican Theatre until Saturday November 22