Neverland comes to Playhouse
FINALLY it feels like Christmas. This weekend was the much-anticipated annual trip to see the panto at Playhouse Whitley Bay and yet again the team have put on a show which delights the whole family.
The Playhouse has a track record of attracting a star performer who takes the parents back to their teenage years and 2018 is no different, with the appearance of Antony Costa, one quarter of the boy band Blue (“who once sang with Sir Elton John”, he reminds us on stage).
Antony has now found a new niche on the stage and comes to the Playhouse to be booed as Captain Hook. Playing the part with panache, he’s a great addition to the regular cast and fans of Blue get a taste of the music they love.
But the Playhouse panto is not about the ‘name’ – it is very much a team performance where the whole cast contribute towards a show of music, dance and slapstick, which adds up to an excellent night of family entertainment.
All the main characters are prominent. Steve Walls, who is in his ninth year at the Playhouse’s Christmas production, keeps the gags and ad-libs flowing all night as Smee.
His sidekick in silliness is Ben Hanson, who plays the buffoon perfectly and milks the laughs from the audience. Sam Ebeneezer is a sharp and energetic Peter Pan, Daniel Mawston a suitably over-the-top Dame and Jessica Pease an excellent Wendy.
The remainder of the cast combine to build a performance which is slick and entertaining throughout. The choreography is sharp – the scene with Tiger Lily and her fellow Indians is particularly impressive – and the young dancers are rewarded this year with a solo slot.
They don’t pass up the chance to impress, giving the scene great gusto. Playhouse panto regulars have seen the ambition of the production step up in successive years, and this year is no different.
Portraying Peter Pan flying off to Neverland with Wendy, Michael and John must be a challenge for any panto, and the Playhouse producers pull it off in style. There are new gags and set pieces, including one very simple, but very funny addition, which I won’t spoil. There are also the Playhouse favourites. If you have been before, you’ll know them off by heart. If you haven’t, they’re well worth going to see.
All in all, Peter Pan is another success for the Playhouse – a great family production that consistently plays for laughs, enhanced by songs and dance routines that add up to everything a panto should be.
Peter Pan is another success for the Playhouse – a great family production
Simon Duke