Riddle me this. When is a pantomime not a pantomime? The answer to that is currently at the Barbican, where the Royal Shakespeare Company is presenting Wendy & Peter Pan, Ella Hickson’s retelling of the classic J M Barrie story.
This is the story of the Darlings, an early Victorian family comprising of Mr and Mrs George and Mary Darling (Toby Stephens and Lolita Chakrabarti) and their four children: Wendy, John, Michael and Tom (Hannah Saxby, Fred Woodley Evans, Kwaku Mills and Alexander Molony). Their lives are filled with fun, laughter and games until Tom is suddenly taken from them. Things start to break down in the Darling household and nobody smiles anymore. Then one night, a mysterious stranger arrives at the nursery window. His name is Peter Pan (Daniel Krikler) and, as he explains to Wendy, he is searching for his lost shadow (Christopher Jeffers). Accompanying Peter is his friend, the fairy Tinkerbell (Charlotte Mills), who takes an immediate dislike to Wendy. Peter, however, finds her lovely and suggests that she, John and Michael travel with him to his home in Neverland, where he and the lost boys live and fight the dastardly Captain Hook and his pirates. Wendy believes this could be the chance to find her own lost boy and find the key to restoring the family’s forgotten happiness. So, they all set out together, aiming for the second star to the right, then straight on till morning, and the start of Wendy’s awfully big adventure.
I’ll start very simply here. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wendy & Peter Pan. It really is an amazing show. When you first arrive, you are met by the sight of the Darling children’s bedroom, and it looks like a place children of any age would love to spend time playing in. It also set the bar high for the rest of the sets and Designer Colin Richmond – who also designed the costumes – really delivers with the bedroom, Lost Boys hideout and especially Hook’s ship, the truly magnificent Jolly Roger. When added to Oliver Fenwick’s lighting and Taiki Ueda’s video Design, you can believe Neverland has come to EC2Y.
Ella Hickson’s writing sets the story from Wendy’s point of view – hence the order of names in the title – and gives the whole thing a bit of a feminist makeover. Not in a negative way. In fact, it was nice to see a different side to the story, and I have to admit that Wendy, Tink and Tiger Lily (Ami Tredrea) made a formidable trio when they got together in the second act. At this point, I have to stop and say how much I loved Charlotte Mills as Tinkerbell. Channeling some inner Kathy Burke to produce the most unfairy-like fairy ever to delight young and old alike.
The production is beautiful to behold with Director Jonathan Munby and Choreographer Lucy Hind moving the cast – including Peter’s seven shadows – seamlessly round and above the stage, oh yes, there is flying aplenty to deliver a magical evening. I loved the sword fights, which were so well choreographed by Fight Director Terry King and fought by the cast that the projected sounds of the swords striking each other were synchronised perfectly with the actors’ movements.
The script is witty and funny, with enough comedy at different levels to entertain the children and the big children and you couldn’t help but be drawn in to the story so when we had to clap hands to say we believed in fairies, it looked like the entire audience were doing so with gusto. There were some lovely references to modern life, with, for example, Hook asking if Wendy slid into Peter’s DMs? At 2 hours 45 minutes, including the interval, both my companion and I thought the show was a little long and the first act could have been shortened but maybe we were wrong, as there were no rumblings of boredom or restlessness from the younger members of the audience. They just seemed to be captivated by what they were seeing. I loved that the writing gave you a chance to see certain characters from a different angle. At one point, I almost found myself feeling sorry for Hook, but I talked myself out of it quickly. I did think that both Wendy and Peter were a bit annoying in the way they didn’t really listen to each other, but that’s an adult viewpoint of a children’s story, so maybe not worth that much.
As for the cast, wow, there was a lot of talent on the stage with everyone really delivering something special. I’m giving a special shout-out to Harrison Claxton in their dual role as the Doctor and the Crocodile. I don’t want to give too much away, but Claxton really inhabits their crocodile persona and is a genuine pleasure to watch as they move across the stage chasing Hook.
Overall, the story is first rate and the acting excellent. The production, set, lighting, sound, etc is amazing and while I still think it could have been shorter, I thoroughly enjoyed my night. The story is one you will remember from your own childhood but with some interesting and at times rather dark touches that give it a bit of an edge in places. No, it’s not your traditional panto, but Wendy & Peter Pan ticks all the boxes for a great family night out.
Review by Terry Eastham
An exhilarating new take on a beloved classic myth of love, loss, redemption – and pirates.
Follow Wendy on an awfully big adventure as she journeys far from the safety of the Darling’s nursery on her quest to find the key to her parents’ forgotten happiness, discovering how the power of just one happy thought can set flight to newfound joy.
CAST
John Sodiq Akanmu Skylights/Swing Shadow
Joe Anthony Shadow
James Berkery Shadow
Kazmin Borrer Shadow
Lili-Evangeline Bryden Shadow
Lolita Chakrabarti Mrs Darling
Harrison Claxton Shadow/Doctor/Crocodile
Joe Hewetson Martin the Cabin Boy
Christopher Jeffers The Lost Shadow
Scott Karim Smee
Alexander Kranz Shadow
Daniel Krikler Peter Pan
Max Lauder Slightly
Meg Matthews Swing Shadow
Charlotte Mills Tink
Kwaku Mills Michael Darling
Alexander Molony Tom Darling
Kyle Ndukuba Tootles
Guy Rhys Doc Swain
Hannah Saxby Wendy Darling
Hadley Smith Knock Bone Jones
Toby Stephens Captain Hook/Mr Darling
Ami Tredrea Tiger Lily
Marcello Walton Murt the Bat
Fred Woodley Evans John Darling
Tom Xander Curly
CREATIVE TEAM
Written by Ella Hickson, adapted from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan
Jonathan Munby Director
Colin Richmond Set and Costume Design
Lucy Hind Choreography
Shuhei Kamimura Music
Christopher Shutt Sound Design
Oliver Fenwick Lighting Design
Taiki Ueda Video Design
Terry King Fight Director
Annelie Powell CDG Casting Director
Ellie Taylor Associate Director
Ikuyo Kuroda Butoh Consultant
WENDY & PETER PAN
Barbican Theatre
21 October to 22 November 2025
Book Tickets for Wendy & Peter Pan
