Wendy & Peter Pan at the Barbican theatre has left this reviewer underwhelmed by a sugary spectacle that fails to land. Despite its promise as a feminist reimagining of JM Barrie's classic tale, Ella Hickson's production from 2013 has not aged well.
Hannah Saxby's Wendy is a particularly puzzling choice, given her character's supposed emotional depth and complexity. Instead, she plays the damsel in distress, treading a fine line between uncertainty, self-deprecation, and guilt - but ultimately resorting to unearned bravado with Tink (Charlotte Mills) and Tiger Lily (Ami Tredrea). The chemistry between Wendy and Peter Pan, played by Daniel Krikler, is uncomfortable, especially when the latter's awkward, hormonal infatuation becomes increasingly cringe-worthy.
The production's reliance on spectacle cannot compensate for its narrative shortcomings. Dazzling lights and video projections designed by Taiki Ueda overwhelm the stage at times, but also detract from more nuanced moments. The aerial work is impressive, if not particularly integrated into the story. Meanwhile, the Jolly Roger sails majestically onto the stage - a welcome respite in an otherwise chaotic mess.
Shuhei Kamimura's music sounds like it belongs to a generic "buccaneer action film" score, and its cranked-up volume is grating at times. The choreography, courtesy of Lucy Hind, does provide some much-needed calm, but even this cannot rescue the show from its overall senselessness.
Captain Hook (Toby Stephens) channels his inner pantomime villain with eerie accuracy, while Tink's cockney fairy persona feels like a lazy cash-grab. The once-radical feminist twist now appears as a soulless stage juggernaut, more suited to Christmas and panto fare than meaningful storytelling.
Ultimately, this production is a cheap sugar rush of spectacle that fails to hit the mark. Even with some notable physical performances from Harrison Claxton's crocodile and Scott Karim's Smee, it is not enough to redeem the show's many shortcomings.
Hannah Saxby's Wendy is a particularly puzzling choice, given her character's supposed emotional depth and complexity. Instead, she plays the damsel in distress, treading a fine line between uncertainty, self-deprecation, and guilt - but ultimately resorting to unearned bravado with Tink (Charlotte Mills) and Tiger Lily (Ami Tredrea). The chemistry between Wendy and Peter Pan, played by Daniel Krikler, is uncomfortable, especially when the latter's awkward, hormonal infatuation becomes increasingly cringe-worthy.
The production's reliance on spectacle cannot compensate for its narrative shortcomings. Dazzling lights and video projections designed by Taiki Ueda overwhelm the stage at times, but also detract from more nuanced moments. The aerial work is impressive, if not particularly integrated into the story. Meanwhile, the Jolly Roger sails majestically onto the stage - a welcome respite in an otherwise chaotic mess.
Shuhei Kamimura's music sounds like it belongs to a generic "buccaneer action film" score, and its cranked-up volume is grating at times. The choreography, courtesy of Lucy Hind, does provide some much-needed calm, but even this cannot rescue the show from its overall senselessness.
Captain Hook (Toby Stephens) channels his inner pantomime villain with eerie accuracy, while Tink's cockney fairy persona feels like a lazy cash-grab. The once-radical feminist twist now appears as a soulless stage juggernaut, more suited to Christmas and panto fare than meaningful storytelling.
Ultimately, this production is a cheap sugar rush of spectacle that fails to hit the mark. Even with some notable physical performances from Harrison Claxton's crocodile and Scott Karim's Smee, it is not enough to redeem the show's many shortcomings.
I was really looking forward to watching Wendy & Peter Pan at the Barbican theatre but honestly, it felt like they took all the cool parts of the story and left out what made it special in the first place 
The aerial work is super impressive, no doubt about that 
But when you strip away all the flashy lights and video projections, you're left with a weak narrative and some cringeworthy performances 
especially Daniel Krikler's awkward take on Peter Pan. And don't even get me started on the music, it's like they took every generic action film score and mashed them together 
I'm all for spectacle but when it overshadows the story, that's just a waste of time 
i mean, who thought it was a good idea to make Tink's character so annoying and shallow? 
. It feels like they're just phoning it in, relying on flashy lights and aerial stunts instead of actual substance. And don't even get me started on the cast - Hannah Saxby as Wendy? More like damsel-in-distress Wendy 
. It feels like they're trying to milk this classic for all it's worth without putting in any real effort. The music sounds generic, the choreography is forgettable... it's all just a big mess 
. I swear, if you're gonna do Peter Pan, do it right or don't bother 
just saw this production of Wendy & Peter Pan at the Barbican theatre & i gotta say its a total disaster lol i mean i love a good spectacle but this one was like watching a bad cartoon 
especially the aerial stuff but cmon can't they do better than that? 
also Toby Stephens as Captain Hook was lowkey amazing tho 
the rest of it just felt so... cheesy 
like they took all the leftover storylines from a bad panto and mashed them together 
wouldnt watch this again even if u paid me 
. And don't even get me started on the chemistry between Wendy and Peter - awkward is one way to describe it 
, but even that couldn't save the show from its overall lack of substance. And Shuhei Kamimura's music? 
it's like they took every generic "pirate" theme song and mashed them all together into one grating mess 
. Not impressed at all.
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, gotta say, I'm super disappointed in this production 
. Stats don't lie: box office earnings for a new Wendy & Peter Pan show dropped by 42% compared to the original's revivals 
. And let's be real, those aerial stunts were impressive, but only accounted for like 10 minutes of the 2-hour show 
. Meanwhile, reviews like this one have hurt the show's credibility and led to a -20% decline in ticket sales 
. I mean, they had all the right ingredients - a feminist twist, aerial work, and a promising cast... but somehow it just fell flat. The music was straight out of a generic action film soundtrack 
.
. and yeah, hannah saxby as wendy does seem like a weird choice - i mean i get what they're trying to do, but it just doesn't feel right 
- those acrobats were insane! And I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why Tink's character was so... extra 
instead...
The chemistry between Daniel Krikler's Peter Pan and Hannah Saxby's Wendy was off-putting, to be honest 
. And don't even get me started on Tink... I mean, what happened to a strong female character? 
even then, it wasn't enough to save the whole production from its lack of substance 
.
, but unfortunately, it just doesn't land #underwhelmed. The cast, especially Hannah Saxby's Wendy, felt like they were stuck in a weird place, playing a character that's meant to be so much more complex and nuanced than she ended up being 
i mean, who thought making wendy into a damsel in distress was a good idea?? and don't even get me started on peter pan's cringe-worthy infatuation lol. the lights and video projections are so overwhelming it's like they're trying to blind us with sparkles 
instead of actually telling a coherent story.
, but they kinda overpowered some of the more emotional moments on stage. And don't even get me started on the music – it just felt super generic and like something you'd hear in a bad action movie 
️, not bad, but definitely not mind-blowing 
... and that Captain Hook is actually pretty spot on as a pantomime villain 
and hannah saxby's wendy is literally so whiny i get that she's supposed to be emotional but it comes off as needy 