Stacey Solomon in Peter Pan – The Never Ending Story at Wembley Arena, London
Peter Pan – The Never Ending Story was performed at Wembley Arena, London and continues to tour to Glasgow and Newcastle.
Written by JM Barrie in 1904, Peter Pan is a story that has provided the basis for many different productions. As well as the famous Disney animated movie, there have been several musicals, live action films and even stories based on Barrie’s life (Finding Neverland).
Where Peter Pan – The Never Ending Story differs from most of the previous adaptations of the Barrie classic is the scale. Featuring a large international cast of acrobats, dancers, stuntmen and magicians, the night is a mixture of Cirque du Soleil-type stunts and popular chart songs that are knitted together to create a musical like you’ve never seen before.
Peter Pan on wires is certainly nothing new, but this production (the concept and direction are down to Luc Petit) takes it to another level, with amazing acrobats onboard, including three-man towers, upside-down fighting and the use of an open vertical wind tunnel-type fan that appears to allow the performers to fly harness-free. There are also many incredible effects using 18 projectors which display multiple backgrounds, from flying thought London, to the battle on Captain Hook’s ship, and throughout the show are used to reveal close-ups of the action. And yet, despite all that, the focus still remains on the actors, who use the space with full effect.
All our childhood favourite Peter Pan characters appear, played by a cosmopolitan cast including Sandor Stürbl (Peter Pan) from the Netherlands, and Nordin De Moor (Smee) and Wim Van Den Driessche (Captain Hook) who are both from Belgium. Other nationalities represented include Italy, Argentina and Switzerland. From the UK we have Lily-Jane Young, who plays Wendy, and of course Stacey Solomon as the narrator and Tinker Bell. However, Solomon will not be appearing at the Newcastle performances where Silvy De Bie will take on the role.
Throughout the production, the songs are enjoyable, and work well within the story, even in ways one would not have expected. These include Seal’s ‘Kiss From a Rose’, ‘In The Shadows’ by The Rasmus and Solomon’s rendition of ‘You Raise Me Up’. All the songs are performed by the cast, accompanied by amazing dance routines. From the expressions on the faces of those around me, it was easy to tell that I was not the only person who enjoyed the experience.
Andrew Wilkin
Peter Pan – The Never Ending Story, a new arena tour presented by Music Hall LTD, continues at the Hydro Arena, Glasgow (10–12 January) and the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle (15–16 January).
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