Peter Pan, Birmingham Hippodrome, Monday 23 December 2024 until Sunday 02 February 2025, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: David Gray & Paul Gray.

Peter Pan, Birmingham Hippodrome, Monday 23 December 2024 until Sunday 02 February 2025,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: David Gray & Paul Gray.

“A spectacular and hilarious show for all the family.”

Birmingham Hippodrome’s Peter Pan quite simply offers all you could wish for from a Pantomime. Lavish spectacle, big laughs, adventure and gasp-inducing magical effects; it has all of these in abundance.

The laughs come largely from established Birmingham Panto stars Matt Slack, here playing Mr Smee, Andrew Ryan as his Mum and, back for a second year, Brum’s very own Alison Hammond. Their experience of working together shines through. The rapport between them seems very easy, natural and effortless. There is a lot of professionalism and trust.

This allows them to build a healthy and dynamic tension between an apparently spontaneous and improvisational style of delivery and a show that is, in truth, incredibly slick and polished. The result is comedic gold dust; something that constantly seems to be teetering on the edge of mayhem without ever descending into full-blown chaos. Very exciting, and not at all easy to pull off, let alone sustain for a whole evening.

The rest of the cast delivery megawatts of energy in larger than life performances. Danny Mac clearly has a whale of a time camping it up as Captain Hook. Noah Harrison is an earnest and likeable Pan. He, Tinkerbell and the Darlings, make the most of the slither of a plot they have to play with.

The unsung heroes of this show, as can so often be the case, are undoubtedly the stalwarts of the costume department. This is a wonderfully costumed show with some unbelievable changes. Mrs Smee sports an unending succession of frocks, each more outrageous than the last. While a talented dance ensemble literally fills the stage at one point with Vegas inspired plumage. Simply spectacular.

No special effects spoilers are to be provided here. Suffice to say, you will be wowed. But amidst all the huge costumes, spectacular scenery and effects, the real magic of this show is its warm beating heart. It is a very human experience which invites us to connect with wonder and - despite all of the inevitable double entendres - a certain childish innocence.

Cast

Magical Mermaid – Alison Hammond

Mr Smee – Matt Slack

Captain Hook – Danny Mac

Mrs Sylvia Smee – Andrew Ryan

Tink – Billie-Kay

Wendy Darling – Rhiannon Chesterman

Peter Pan – Noah Harrison

John Darling – Cian Hughes

Michael Darling – Stanley-Joe Catley/Paolo Dionisi/Olly Jupe

Creatives

Adapted from the original story by Harry Michaels & Matt Slack

Costume designers – Teresa Nalton & Mike Coltman

Lighting designer – Ban Cracknell

Set designer – Mark Walters

Choreographer – Karen Bruce

Director – Michael Harrison

Musical Director – Robert Willis