Review – Peter Pan, New Wimbledon Theatre

It’s not just us is it?

We think the usher who stopped a man humming along at Sunny Afternoon the other day should be given a promotion.

The man in question stropped out of the Harold Pinter Theatre in a huff. Who was he? Did he attend the Bianca Jagger School of Theatre Etiqutte?

Didn’t they teach him he should have gone to a pantomime. It’s the only time of the year we steel ourselves to be tolerant in the theatre, find our forbearing genes and accept the place will be full of kids and parents, talking, screaming, turning on phones and waving things around that light up. We just have to go with it, even indulge in some of it ourselves. Including the singing. Next year Phil promises to buy Andrew a flashing tiara.

But Peter Pan? Well, in our book it’s not a proper panto. It really should carry the warning that Peter Pan Goes Wrong‘s poster does, “This is not a panto”.  There’s no dame and a story that doesn’t sit well within the panto format. Which was a shame as Phil and Andrew brought along Brent, who is older than both of them (!) and experiencing pantomime for the very first time.

Review – Peter and Alice, Noel Coward Theatre

With the Whingers barely recovered from seeing Britain’s Second Most Inspirational Woman, Helen Mirren pass herself off as a 25-year-old QEII in The Audience we are now presented with Britain’s Most Inspirational Woman, Judi Dench playing Alice Liddell Hargreaves as a 10-year-old in John Logan’s Peter and Alice. Yikes!

Both Dame-led fantasies are selling out nightly. One can only suppose that a smart producer has spotted this latest theatrical trend and is currently scrabbling round for a script that will entice Dame Maggie Smith to don a baby grow.

Review – Peter Pan, New Wimbledon Theatre

To say that to die seemed an awfully big adventure might have been overstating things but by the interval of  Peter Pan it was certainly beginning to feel preferable to sitting through any more of the New Wimbledon Theatre‘s panto.

Well, it’s panto, but not as we know it.

Review – Peter Pan, Barbican Theatre

With the Whingers finding their theatrical diaries peculiarly empty four star reviews in the FT and in the Daily Telegraph*turned the Whingers’ last minute fancy to the new version of J M Barrie‘s  Peter Pan at the Barbican Theatre.

Money being quite tight at the moment following the excesses of the West End Whingers’ party, Phil phoned the Barbican’s charming (it turns out) press officer to see if they might consider giving generously only to be told that the centre’s policy was not to supply comps for bloggers unless they were affiliated to some sort of august journal (we’re paraphrasing slightly).

Phil shoved his gearstick of charm into top gear and after a little deliberation the Barbican relented and agreed to give the Whingers one free ticket (you can see why Phil doesn’t try speed dating) but the Whingers would have to buy the second one. Yes it was just like those supermarket Buy-One-Get-One-Free Offers. At least on this occasion Phil was given a BOGOF rather than being told to BOG OFF for once.

So with their noses slightly out of joint (well, one nose out of joint) the Whingers thought it only appropriate they should produce half a review – maybe just the bad bits or every other word, perhaps. Better still: every other letter!

J h (B a k W t c) T f a y’s N t o a T e t e o S o l n‘s c -p o u t o  w t  t e B r i a o D v d G e g‘s g i t y n w v r i n of J  B r i ‘s P t r P n h s e t n u s e  a l a s c a i n  w t p n t .