So I've been back at uni for less than a week, and already I've had the privilege of seeing two fantastic shows, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and Jersey Boys, the latter I will review later. But firstly I have to talk about Mischief Theatre's hilarious Peter Pan Goes Wrong, one of the funniest shows I have ever seen.
A review from the show's website says 'The inept and accident prone Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society set out to present J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of Peter Pan. Two acts of hysterical disaster ensue.'
Well, 'hysterical disaster' DID ensue at the Marlowe Theatre on Saturday 17th January. The jokes just kept coming, the slapstick was hilarious, and while the first act contained mostly typical, perhaps a little bit predictable jokes, in the second act, those same jokes were revisited with a hilarious result.
However, perhaps the most memorable moment of the play was when Lawrence Pears (playing director and actor (dactor?) Chris Bean, playing Captain Hook) struggled to open a bottle with his hook hand, and one particularly sharp witted and vocal audience member offered to 'give [him] a hand'. The pun had the audience in stitches. Bravo, mysterious comedian in the stalls!
In fact, the audience interaction was a highlight of the performance for me. The idea of a pantomime suggests audience participation, but the fact that the show was a play within a play almost threw the audience off at the beginning. When prompted to join in with a rousing 'its behind you' chorus, at the start, the audience seemed almost hesitant to join in, but by the end, all inhibitions were lost and audiences were reveling in the absurd hilarity and offering their own pantomime elements, which the actors skillfully improvised around. By the time the show reached its hilarious finale (the turntable stage goes out of control, madness ensues, that's all I'll say), I had tears streaming down my face and my mouth hurt from smiling so much!
In short, Peter Pan Goes Wrong was one of the best spur of the moment theatre experiences I've ever had. I'll be heading down to London the catch the acclaimed The Play That goes Wrong, as soon as possible!
Verdict - 4 Stars
Twitter: @OddJazzShoes
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