Preview: Peter Pan Goes Wrong at Newcastle Theatre Royal

AWARD WINNING MISCHIEF-MAKERS BRING NEVERLAND TO NEWCASTLE

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Wednesday 1 to Saturday 4 July 2015

West End stormers and multiple award winners Mischief Theatre Company are set to bring their riotous new show Peter Pan Goes Wrong to Newcastle Theatre Royal in July.  Expect lashings of slapstick and mayhem galore, oh, and a crocodile that ticks! From Wednesday 1 to Saturday 4 July 2015

Mischief Theatre exploded onto the West End stage with phenomenal success last year with The Play That Goes Wrong, the first of their ‘Goes Wrong’ hit shows. Now after winning the Whatsonstage Award for Best New Comedy  2014 and Oliver Award for Best New Comedy 2015, the company is flying high and promises a barrel-full of laughs with its new show.

The play introduces ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who are attempting to stage J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of Peter Pan, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does, as the accident prone thesps embark on a thrilling adventure to Neverland with hilariously disastrous results. A highly physical comedy packed with finely-tuned mayhem and Buster Keaton inspired slapstick, Peter Pan Goes Wrong delivers a fast-paced show with split-second timing and ambitious daring.

Mischief Theatre Company started at the Old Red Lion in London, then transferred their first show to the West End where it enjoyed two successive runs at the Trafalgar Studios, whipping critics, audiences and celebrity fans into a frenzy of delight. Producers Kenny Wax (of Top Hat fame) and Stage Presence Ltd picked up the show and produced a two-act version of the play, which enjoyed a sell-out UK tour and swiftly followed with a West End transfer to the Duchess Theatre, where it is currently playing to packed houses. The company have just announced an extension through until September 2015 in the West End. Peter Pan Goes Wrong first premiered with a small-scale production at The Pleasance London in December 2013. This new 2014/5 production has been developed and redesigned for a number one UK tour.

Triple Olivier award-winning producer Kenny Wax says: “We took a huge gamble in transferring The Play That Goes Wrong into the West End; a new comedy starring 'no one famous' by unknown writers. And yet our sold out show is delighting packed houses night after night. Marketeers will tell you that there is only one thing that can create such a 'hit' and that is great word of mouth. I have no doubt that Peter Pan Goes Wrong will be met with the same tremendous reaction.”

Mischief Theatre was founded in 2008 by a group of graduates of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and began as an improvised comedy group. The recent success of The Play That Goes Wrong has put Mischief firmly in the spotlight, attracting critical acclaim and international attention from theatre producers worldwide. The company is led by Artistic Director Henry Lewis and Company Director Jonathan Sayer.

Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is directed by Adam Meggido, with set designs by Simon Scullion, costume designs by Roberto Surace, lighting design by Matt Haskins and sound design by Ella Wahlstrom. The production will be performed by an ensemble cast of ten, featuring: Laurence Pears, Cornelius Booth, Alex Bartram, James Marlowe, Chris Leask, Leonie Hill, Naomi Sheldon, Matt Cavendish, Harry Kershaw and Rosie Abraham. The company will be casting local children at each venue to play ‘the Lost Boys’.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is produced by Kenny Wax Ltd and Stage Presence Ltd. A donation from every ticket sold is given to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Jowheretogo saw this brilliant show earlier in the tour – see our review here

Jowheretogo rated Mischief Theatre’s previous production The Play That Goes Wrong as one of the funniest shows of 2014 – read the review here

Tickets:

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Wednesday 1^st until Saturday 4^th July 2015. Tickets are available from £11 (save 50p per ticket by booking online) and can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Opening Night £15 Ticket Offer! (Partial View Seats remain at £11 on Opening Night)

 

 

Review: Peter Pan Goes Wrong at Darlington Civic Theatre

I Believe In Fairies!

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

DarlingtonCivic Theatre

Tuesday 3^rd February to Sunday 8^th February 2015.

Mischief Theatre return to Darlington Civic with a Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields penned comedy in which ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ are attempting to stage J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of Peter Pan. After the hysterical ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’hopes were high for the sequel and the audience were not disappointed.

The society have been given a generous donation so they can put on a “proper Christmas children’s vignette” to replace the low budget panto, such as ‘Jack and the Magic Bean’. The show does not start as planned as a much older student, Robert (Cornelius Booth), was having to play young Michael Darling.

They have the motto that the show must go on – regardless of health and safety violations - and the cast are quickly put through their dangerous paces. They get stuck in doors, trip over toys and struggle to enjoy bedtime – and that’s just in the first 15 minutes. Laughter is a constant sound in the auditorium as the carefully crafted comedy unfolds.

Whilst the first show satirised the murder-mystery, this production salutes the pantos and Christmas children’s shows that take themselves far too seriously. It is suitable for all the family as the wardrobe malfunctions are always funny rather than naughty. It was great to hear both younger and older members of the audience sharing the jokes.

Many of the laughs are a result of the actors sticking to a script and not adapting to the fact that something has gone wrong or a prop isn’t available. Laurence Pears plays the role of straight laced director perfectly. Leonie Hill does a great job of overacting the role of Wendy with sufficient charm whilst Naomi Sheldon performs numerous high speed costume changes with aplomb. The underdogs get the audience on their side and the roles of Max (Matt Cavendish) and Lucy (Rosie Abraham) help give the show that panto feel as they regularly get the audience involved in the second half.

Rather than repeat the disasters of the previous show, the Kenny Wax produced show has new bundle of problems to challenge the actors and, in turn, entertain the audience.

This is a great production that is packed with laughs. It is only February and we may already have seen the funniest show of the year.

A donation from every ticket sold for Peter Pan Goes Wrong is given to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo

Tickets:

Peter Pan Goes Wrong runs at Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday February 3 to Sunday February 8. Tickets* are priced from £17.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

*Includes a £1 restoration levy