Although Peter Pan is a fairly new addition to the Pantomime fold, the lively story of Pirates, Mermaids, Indian Braves and a boy who can fly, is rapidly zooming up the popularity chart.
The Qdos Pantomimes production at the White Rock Theatre is one of three currently being performed around the county but, when it comes to Peter Pan himself, Hastings certainly comes out on top of the list!
Jaymi Hensley is very well known to followers of X Factor and of his band, Union J, but maybe less so to those older members of the audience or to those who tune in to “Strictly” instead. However, those very people are the ones sitting up in their seats and listening intently as Hensley begins to show off his crystal clear and powerful voice.
Although the flying scenes are quite “safe” Jaymi’s confidence on the wire is to be admired, as are his acting skills. In act two when he sings “You Raise Me Up” to the dying Tinkerbell, he is simply superb.
Equal praise needs to go to Shaun Chambers who plays Pan’s arch enemy, Captain James T Hook. In a performance that drifts between incredibly mean and totally camp, much the same as the performance from his crew, Chambers is able to twist the audience around his… well, his hook rather than his little finger really.
The supporting cast all work well with Ben Watson as Smee entering to a chant of “What shall we do with the drunken sailor?”, and encouraging the reply “Shave him on the bum with a ladies’ razor!” – which the children just can’t get enough of, for some reason.
Nina Bell is a creditable Wendy, with equal amounts of strength and vulnerability showing through, Danielle Black as Eliza the Maid, Tiger Lily and the Cabin Boy even makes a joke out of the fact that she has three roles and Katriona Perrett as Mrs Darling and Tinkerbell is just explosive!
Completing the cast are the lost boys and the juvenile chorus dancers, all from local schools and colleges together with four people who deserve a very special mention for playing staff at the Darling House, part of the Pirate crew, some of the Indian Braves and even, in the kidnap scene, a collection of Superheroes.
Zac Adlam (whose twin brothers Luke and Soloman also appear in the chorus), Simone Moncada, Dominic Sibanda and James Moore (who looks stunning in the leather outfit that he wears as the superhero, Black Widow) all dance their socks off and give this production all that they have. Their energy gives the whole show a wonderful feeling of non-stop action and they deserve full credit for their incredible performances.
Damian Czarnecki’s choreography is fast paced but tight and, together with Luke Sheppard’s direction, the whole show zooms past with some very memorable highlights, and traditional panto favourites, paving the way to the, extremely energetic, finale.
The panto only runs until New Year’s Eve so, in that lull between Christmas and New Year, give yourself a real lift and catch Peter Pan in Hastings – before he flies away for good.
**** Four Stars