THREATRE REVIEW: Wendy & Peter Pan ★★★★

Wendy & Peter Pan
RSC Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
3rd December 2015

There comes a time which can be very rare these days, where you watch a performance which completely captivates you, from the full on laugh at moments right through to the gut wrenching scenes, that due to how engrossed you are, the performance takes you emotionally to another world, in this case full of magic, pirates, fairies and the art of flying, because Wendy & Peter Pan, running at the RSC Theatre in Stratford until 30th January, does exactly that, making you almost lose the track of time, as the action zooms past in a flash!

Right from the beginning you are thrown into the action as Michael, John and Tom are play fighting in the bedroom, before Wendy, Mother and Father all join on stage, and you really feel at this moment and how the scene progresses that this show is really only about one thing; Family. It throws Wendy right into the centre of the production as she learns what it's like to be grown up, being referred to as the ‘Mother’ in Neverland where there are hardly any females, apart from Tink and Tiger Lily, and Mariah Gale portrays Wendy so magnificently she plays it to a standard of complete authenticity, really allowing you as an audience member follow her on this magical journey.

But it's also the chemistry she has with Peter, performed terrifically by Rhys Rusbatch, that really is one of the defining parts of this production. You see them go through so much together, from the good to the bad, and come out the other side as completely different people, really allowing both the actors to work off each other to maintain this. Rhys had this real charm, and in one specific scene where he asks the audience to clap if they believed in fairies, he had the whole auditorium doing just exactly that, and it was really was a special moment.

Other points I would like to mention would be the music, which just sat perfectly within the scenes which it was used, the real artistic flare used on ‘The Jolly Roger’ boat and the ‘House Under The Ground’, which raises from above the ground to reveal a lively living space decked out with incredible touches of detail, and place where we mainly find Tink, played brilliantly, and one of the standout characters of the show for me, by Charlotte Mills!

Overall, Wendy & Peter Pan is an incredible script which will have you in stitches one moment and then tearing up the next,but is ultimately a magical journey that will take you to another world, proving widely to be the perfect gift this Christmas season, fitting perfectly to all ages!