Having giggled my way through other Mischief Theatre shows like The Comedy About a Bank Robbery and Magic Goes Wrong, it was a treat to finally watch the company’s sophomore effort, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
Like its predecessor The Play That Goes Wrong—a Noises Off-style comedy in which a country house murder mystery falls apart before our eyes—Peter Pan Goes Wrong adopts a similarly farcical approach to J M Barrie’s evergreen story of the boy who never grows up. Overall, this production marks a neat transition between the contained theatrical parody of Play with its single (albeit ingenious) set and the more ambitious set pieces found in Bank Robbery.
After reading the programme, I was surprised to learn that Peter Pan Goes Wrong—which is framed as the latest disaster from Cornley Polytechnic’s Drama Society—was inspired by a real-life stage fiasco that took place in 1970s America. A small community theatre company mounted a production of Peter Pan in which every possible technical blunder occurred, from actors being left stranded in mid-air to faulty electrics to physical injuries. Mischief Theatre has taken this inspiration and runs with it, resulting in some spectacularly imaginative moments.
As with other Mischief Theatre shows, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is filled to the brim with visual gags and impressive feats of physical daring. While some comic scenes overstayed their welcome and certain recurring gags began to annoy, the laugh rate was, nevertheless, extremely high.
One of the great joys of the show is its awareness of the innumerable things that can go wrong during a theatrical production, hence we have one performer who suffers from chronic stage fright, another who can’t remember their lines and needs to have them relayed via headphones and an actor who is forced to play multiple parts in quick succession, resulting in a range of costume malfunctions. The humour may be broad but it’s certainly effective.
Peter Pan Goes Wrong brings together a talented ensemble of performers who perform their roles with considerable vigour and flair. As the director Chris—who plays Mr Darling and Captain Hook—Jack Michael Stacey does an excellent job of conveying barely suppressed rage and mounting hysteria. The character’s insistence on treating the production as a ‘family entertainment’ rather than a pantomime provided some of the evening’s most amusing moments.
Matthew Howell is terrific as Dennis—the associate director who fights Chris for creative control of the show—and he has memorable scenes as the Darling children’s canine nanny and an incomprehensible pirate. Jamie Birkett shines as the overworked Annie, who is obliged to transform herself into various characters at a moment’s notice. As Sandra—who plays Wendy—Ciara Morris offers some much-needed sanity, but also indulges in some wonderfully outlandish arm movements.
Gareth Tempest exudes cockiness as the deluded leading man (and lothario) Jonathan, whose flights as Peter Pan seldom run smoothly, and there are hilarious turns from Theo Toksvig-Stewart as the enthusiastic but under-appreciated Max and Clark Devlin as the memory-challenged Dennis.
Jake Bergum makes a strong impression as Trevor, the beleaguered stage manager who reluctantly accepts the role of Peter at one point. Equally impressive is Jean-Luke Worrell as the perpetually grinning narrator whose manic energy is a source of constant delight. Kudos also to Rosemarie Akwafo as Lucy, who makes hay with the thankless role of a reluctant performer.
Finally, I must praise Simon Scullion’s brilliant set design which beautifully captures the different scenes of Peter Pan (the Darling children’s bedroom, the Neverland forest, Captain Hook’s ship) whilst also serving as an obstacle course of theatrical hazards.
While my favourite Mischief Theatre show remains The Play That Goes Wrong, there are certain ways in which Peter Pan Goes Wrong is even more ambitious and inventive. For innocent, family-friendly chuckles, I can heartily recommend it.