Peter Pan.Ticking Crocs (see what I did there?), flying fairies and rogue children hiding from evil pirates. Been done before right? Well, what we have here is Peter Pan Reimagined, the flagship Christmas show playing at Birmingham Rep from now until 19 January 2020.Liam Steel and the creative team at The Rep have taken Neverland out of the distance, and instead moved it much closer to home: Neverland Court, a sink estate in an unclear area of Birmingham.Wendy and her brothers are living with the latest in a long line of foster parents on the second floor of the block. Wendy is angry: angry at the foster parents that have given up on her previously, angry at the grown-ups in the block who shout and chase her and her brothers, angry at her current foster mum for going out that night. Into this anger drops Peter Pan, appearing to her perched on top of a fridge, and from there we embark on an adventure into Neverland, Second star to the right and straight on until morning.
Walking into the theatre, the first thing that strikes is the set constructed on stage. Three stories high, an estate block has been created in the theatre, and from this all the other settings pop up: Pirate Ships, underground hideouts, mermaid pools, a rock in the ocean, playgrounds, and a flats kitchen all are conjured before us as the cast move between them. We were amazed by the set, I think the best stage I have ever seen put on at the Rep, and it was perfect for the story played out in front of us.
This is not your traditional Peter Pan story. The framework is there, and it follows the plot closely but it is fleshed out by more up to date and modern references. Wendy’s heart-breaking back-story is teased out in her story-telling to the Lost Ones and the work done by Cora Tsang as Wendy is wonderful in moments like these.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything when I mention that Tink (the amazing Mirabelle Gremaud; not your average Tinkerbell! Gymnastics, parkour, singing, harp playing and sassiness abound!) is placed in mortal danger – a moment that saw our little three year old devastated with tears in her eyes and her bottom lip sticking out.When she realised she could clap Tink back to life, she had a real, genuine panic over where she could put her ice-cream so she could get her hands free as soon as possible. And she clapped as hard as I have ever seen her clap before with a huge smile on her face.
Peters Gang, The Lost Ones are a mass of cuteness, bickering, playing, joking, loving and having great fun throughout. They may be classified as “support” cast, but its obvious that each character has been worked on hard and have had their own personality bought to the fore. There are no faceless characters here (well almost…shout out to the shadows who dance across the stage, making everything work).
The big points of the show are the musical numbers. Hiding in the cast are some excellent dancers and singers (who knew Pirates could breakdance?) and the songs that are belted out rock the theatre, and it’s clear to see that the folks on stage are having an absolute blast.Speaking of having a blast, obviously the most fun had is when the cast members are swooping around the sky above the stage. Sometimes there’s four up there at a time, and watching them all swing around each other must take incredible concentration and lots of practice.
We all walked out of the show with a massive smile on our faces. The Rep have taken a classic, added a touch of Birmingham and kept its soul, but updated it for modern audiences of all ages, whilst keeping the feel, charm and root of the story intact and on show.We absolutely LOVED it. Go and see it. With or without children. This play is for EVERYONE.
Disclaimer: We were invited along to the press showing. All opinions and thoughts are our own. Stage photographs by Johan Persson.
