Reader Reviews
Peter Pan (Savoy Theatre, West End)
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 | It's been a bad year for "Peter Pan". First this lousy stage version then the CGI-heavy but magic-free film now polluting your local cinema. Thanks in part to J.M. Barrie himself for leaving multiple versions of the story there is no such thing as the definitive "Peter Pan"; this oddly amateurish, visually ugly production doesn't even try. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.167) | 20 Jan 04 |
| I totally agree with the previous Review (although I give 3 and not 4 stars). We went on New Years Day, and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. All the children present seemed totally enthralled by the show. I feel some of the more scathing reviews need to see the show from a childs view-point. Children do not always need multi-million pound sets and Disney like special effects to enjoy themselves (unlike some adults!). I think it is somewhat foolish to think that the producers would spend vast amounts of money on scenary considering the show runs for 3 months, and half the time the Pirates of Penzance is being performed. All in all an enjoyable show, especially for children. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.172.235.254) | 15 Jan 04 |
| On Saturday I took three of my small grandchildren to see this production and I was very worried they would be disappointed as there have been some very damning reviews. I am quite annoyed about this as it seems that some critics are hell bent on destroying the London theatre completely and in this case they were entirely wrong. I am a great lover of this piece and have seen practically every production - including the legendry RSC's with Miles Anderson as Peter and the National's version with Mark Rylance and Ian McKellen in the cast. Although this was not a glittering show with flashy sets and gimmicks it actually struck home by its simplicity. The children and expecially Peter were extemely good - they were totally believable to anyone who knows anything about children. The whole piece stuck to James Barrie's text word for word which was a particular joy. Throughout at the matinee on Saturday a theatre full of children were mesmerised - you could have heard a pin drop and I rather imagined it was very close to the way it might have been first seen. There was lots of scope for make believe without elaborate effects filling in all the gaps. If you are going to see this soon please don't be put off - I have absolutely nothing to do with the theatre or the production and feel very strongly that critics should perhaps try to see this through the eyes of children who are a great deal less cynical than their adult counterparts. If the cast or anyone connected to the show should per chance read this - be assured that my grandchildren - of the television and computer game generation - thought it was magical and certainly came away believing in fairies, and wanting to re-enact entire scenes - in my mind this is a huge success. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.69.214.5) | 12 Jan 04 |
| The Guardian The programme for this production of The Pirates of Penzance contains an essay by director Steven Dexter. It's worth reading, since without it, you might find the show confusing. After acknowledging the impact amateur productions made on him as a kid, Dexter states that his aim is to "bring out the sexiness in G&S's ideas". For this we should be grateful. Decades of viewing G&S as decorous Victoriana has made us forget the erotic undertones in their work. When Gilbert's pirates tell us they are "tired of tossing on the sea", for example, they don't just mean they're fed up with being stuck on a ship. Amateur dramatics, meanwhile, are synonymous with "end-of-pier" shows, and Dexter accordingly relocates Pirates to the end of Paignton Pier, where Hadley Fraser's randy Frederic fantasises about the various attractions on offer. The pirates, led by Anthony Head, emerge from behind one of those comic boards you shove your head through. General Stanley's Daughters are can-can dancers to whom Elin Wyn Lewis's frumpy Mabel acts as a dresser. Singing Poor Wandering One, she leads Frederic on a trip through the Tunnel of Love before dragging him into a beach hut, which then vibrates with their exertions. In the midst of all this, however, Dexter misses the crucial point that Pirates is essentially a satirical attack on both a hereditary aristocracy that believes it has the right to act outside the law and on a legal system that hinders rather than helps justice. The score, meanwhile, has been rewritten as an all-purpose Broadway-style musical, and General Stanley's act-two solo, which should betray the old man's vulnerability, mutates into a massive 42nd Street-style tap routine. The best performance comes from Fraser, who sings Frederic's music with an appealing sexuality. Head, in silk and leather, looks gorgeous, but croons when he needs to be flamboyant. It's entertaining, but any one who remembers Joseph Papp's rock-opera version in the 1980s will find it wanting. · Until March 6. Box office: 0870 164 8787. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.50) | 10 Jan 04 |
| TIMES REVIEW FOR PIRATES Iif nothing else, the overture gave the game away. A drum-kit beat. Snatches of songs scarcely by Gilbert and Sullivan. Clearly we were not going to watch a D’Oyly Carte production. That distinguished body has been buffeted again by the economic climate and is not currently in staging mode. The swashbuckling producer Raymond Gubbay, on the other hand, is never in anything else; so here at the Savoy, G&S’s historic home, dovetailed in repertory with Peter Pan, is a broad and saucy Pirates of Penzance for the 21st-century mass audience, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer luminary Anthony Head starring as the Pirate King. You can’t beat the show for high spirits, at least. Francis O’Connor’s impressive sets glide in and out with the speed of a Gilbert patter lyric. Vivid, occasionally crude physical business tumbles from the players. Whether Sullivan’s rhythms allow it or not, John Rigby’s arrangements and Dawn Buckland’s choreography whisk through a cuckoo’s nest of styles: swing jive, the charleston, gospel singing, even, with the Police Sergeant’s song, a drunken karaoke turn. Purists, keep out! There is failure and mess here, but also good production ideas. Many flow from director Steven Dexter’s choice of inspiration, the operetta’s hasty seaside premiere at Paignton in 1879 (arranged to secure its British copyright). Witty, evocative seaside props abound. The “most ingenious paradox” trio is sung with the aid of Punch and Judy. Frederic, Mabel and the chattering girls pitch woo and counterpoint in and around a rocking bathing hut. No authentic Victorian atmosphere is left, but none in the audience should expect any. Some casting was equally adroit. Elin Wyn Lewis, bright and fresh as orange juice, proved an inspired choice as Mabel, the indentured pirate’s eyeful; you would never guess from her confidence and voice that this marked her first professional engagement. A highly promising debut. As Frederic, Hadley Fraser (another Royal Academy of Music graduate) wins the prize for handling Gilbert’s dialogue: always adroit, never pummelling the jokes with “funny” voices. On opening night at least the wisdom of casting Head as the Pirate King was less obvious. Striking physique, mane of hair, fans: yes, he had those. Audibility, singing voice, stage presence? No doubt he’s happier thrusting sword and hook in Peter Pan. Among the rest, Kathryn Evans seemed wasted as the show’s also-ran woman, Ruth; while Jack Chissick’s Major-General (striped bathing suit, life-belt) achieved patter speed without clarity. But, like the show, he meant well. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.83.170) | 10 Jan 04 |
| I think the 5 star reviewer is confusing "unpretentious" with "undemanding". This is a dumbed-down classic for an increasingly dumbed-down West End. For the first time in over 20 years as a regular playgoer I felt the urge to pelt the cast with rotten vegetables.... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.163) | 08 Jan 04 |
| Thoroughly enjoyed it!....How nice to see Peter and the 'Darling Children' being able to speak the Queens English!...so rare!..... As to the person who wrote that the good reviews were written by people connected to the production....I suspect that review was written by someone who auditioned!...and failed!..... This show is only on for three months..so no one in their right mind is going to expect multi million pound sets!....What you do expect, is the children who go to thoroughly enjoy it!...and they do!......and thats what its all about!...and that is more important than anything! Looking forward to 'Pirates'... - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.67.65) | 07 Jan 04 |
| One word.....Dreadful! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.131.20.207) | 06 Jan 04 |
| Pure, unadulterated crap! Bad beyond description. Lacklustre, badly acted, poorly directed. No sparkle. No magic. Only major laugh of the evening was when Wendy crashed into the scenery. Can't believe I wasted £37.50 on a ticket. What a rip off. In summary: your children deserve better than this. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.6.139.13) | 06 Jan 04 |
| I took my two children, aged 5 and 7 and their friends, to yesterday's matinee. I was totally amazed at how absorbed they were by the story, simply and clearly told, and by first rate performances all round. I don't know what your previous correspondent is talking about - this is a lovely, unpretentious show which cpatures the magic of Peter Pan so well. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.157.178.8) | 04 Jan 04 |
| There's one thing wrong with this production - it's being staged by professionals in a West End theatre rather than by the Nether Cowpat Players in a leaky a village hall. As for the strange comment about this being the "fastest Pan" one of the recent reviewers has seen, that's part of the problem - there is no pathos, no subtlety. It's childrens' entertainment for children brought up on a diet of Disney's charmless kiddie-fodder. And unless the show has improved tremendously since I had the misfortune to see it, I strongly suspect that some of those rave reviews were written by people connected with the production! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.164) | 04 Jan 04 |
| good fun had by all - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.84.180) | 01 Jan 04 |
| good fun had by all - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.84.180) | 01 Jan 04 |
| good fun had by all - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.84.180) | 01 Jan 04 |
| good fun had by all - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.84.180) | 01 Jan 04 |
| it was the fastest pan I have seen! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.135) | 01 Jan 04 |
| my son loved it! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.135) | 01 Jan 04 |
| took my kids today. they loved it and so did I - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.135) | 01 Jan 04 |
| OK here's the deal on Pan at the Savoy. Its not the most lavish, but the full house yesterday, made up of a lot of young children sat in dead silence through out the whole show. I was quite amazed as they were making a huge racket before and thought, oh dear. from the moment Nana wakes up in the beautiful pink and blue nursery, they were transpoted to the wonderful world of J.M Barrie. I saw the national version which was so long a boring and the production last year which didnt hold anyones attention, let alone children. it was refreshing to hear the original script being performed on such a high standard. And Jack Bleumenau was a real kid. I saw him at the stage door after the show and he looks about 12, which is why the children in the audince could identify with him. I over heard a child asking him where Tinkerbell lived! She oviously believed in faries! I cant wait to see Pirates! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.135) | 31 Dec 03 |
| I went with 6 kids aged 4-8 who sat rivitted throughout. Have never taken them to the theatre before and I want to thank all involved in this wondeful production for giving them such a thrilling first experience. never have I seen a show so sensitivly done for children. bravo , bravo - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.129.33.135) | 31 Dec 03 |
| I took my grandchildren who loved it. The flying is magical and Anthony Head is really excellent as Hook. A really good production of a great classic. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.157.178.8) | 31 Dec 03 |
| I agree appalling sets and acting, I cant believe I wasted my money on it. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.131.108.145) | 29 Dec 03 |
| Shameful - I don't know which is worse, the acting, sets or direction! If you want to see a truly magical production of an Edwardian classic, forget this offal and make your way to the West Yorkshire Playhouse's "Wind in the Willows". - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.179) | 28 Dec 03 |
| A shockingly bad production - what on earth is it doing in a West End theatre? Dreadful acting, ugly sets and a panto style which strips this wonderful play of all its magic and pathos. I spent most of the evening dreaming of the heart-rending old RSC production which I saw back in the 80's... Another nail in the West End's coffin! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (195.92.168.169) | 19 Dec 03 |
| Well, i'm sure the cast tried their best and it was great to see Anthony Head back on the stage but, sadly, even he couldn't save this production of Peter Pan. Prior to the show opening, I had watched an endless number of interviews with Anthony Head (Captain Hook) and each time he stressed that this was not a Panto but the original J M Barrie play - if this is so, why did the cast encourage audience participation from the children? It was, to an extent, an interactive theatre experience, one of the characteristics of traditional pantomimes. Saying this, I have seen much better acting and much more confident actors in my local pantos over the years. The quality of acting witnessed was not what is to be expected from a West End production. This is also true of the special effects. Yes, the characters could fly, but nothing was left to the imagination regarding how this was achieved. The wires weren't just visible, they almost became characters themselves and probably deserved a biography in the programme. I even heard the young boy next to me say to his mother "but I can see the ropes". The Savoy is a nice little theatre and I had a great seat and a terrific view...especially of the man behind the curtain imitating Peter Pan's shadow (accidenty seen when Peter Pan opened the curtains at an inappropriate time) and of the stagehands who weren't so much backstage as on it. To finish, the entire show seemed very slow, very ill-explained, and very much like an amateur production. Disappointing. - USER: Whatsonstage.com (81.128.0.7) | 18 Dec 03 |
| wow i'm amazing and can see the future coz i know this will be great even though i havn't seen it yet coz it hasn't opened, but i will when it does to see my friend jack flying as peter pan, from what he's told me its really good, but there should be more about him everywhere coz he is the main character! i can't wait to see it, you should too! - USER: Whatsonstage.com (62.252.64.6) | 06 Dec 03 |
