The world of amateur dramatics has changed so much in the last decade or so. No longer do we have inaudible voices, drowned out by the band, because the two microphones taped the stage don’t really work that well. In the Uckfield Theatre Guild’s production of Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure most of the cast have wireless microphones ensuring that every spoken word, or song lyric, is crystal clear, and powerful enough to be heard right at the back of the auditorium.
Cabaret style table seating allows for plenty of room to sit back and enjoy the traditional tale of the boy who never grew up and, as the curtain opens to reveal a London street in Victorian times, it is immediately obvious that the same attention to detail with the sound has also gone into the costumes, props and scenery.
Sharon Gladman is the storyteller who, throughout the production, keeps the action moving along with short monologues, usually delivered as the scene on stage is changing. Her first speech covers a very neat and tidy transition from the street to the Darling children’s bedroom where we find Wendy (Anna Lucas), John (Oliver Christian) and Michael (Sam Dawson) together with the incredibly cute Nana dog (Meredith Creffield), Mrs Darling (Beth Bastone), Mr Darling (Robert Cosser) and the maid, Liza (Jill Johnstone).
The musical numbers are cleverly constructed by Stiles and Drewe (Wind in the Willows, Half a Sixpence, Mary Poppins) and with the first few titles including, There’s Something in the Air Tonight, Just Beyond the Stars and Never Land, they really help to set the scene for the enthusiastic and attentive audience.
Kiri Standing, who tutors the youth group of the Uckfield Theatre Guild, takes on the role of Peter, together with a small green light that flutters across the stage as Tinkerbell and, very soon, the Darling children are seen flying over the landmarks of London as they head off to meet the Lost Boys (Rosa Coghill, Isabel Diggle, Lily Coghill, Isabel Horton, Oliver Horton, Sam Horton and Meredith Creffield), Tiger Lily (Ellice Bridger) and her Indian tribe (Charlotte Diggle, Skye Sherwood, Indi Sherwood, Isla Sherwood, Charlotte Newman, Eliza Fletcher and Ben Shelley).
Of course, no production of Peter Pan would be complete without the Pirates (Laura Johnstone, Donna Sherlock, Penny Heath, Linda Allen, Jade Green, Angie Chewter, Joan Richards and Hannah Peterson) together with hapless Mr Smee (Mark Sherlock), none other than Uckfield’s Mayor, Spike Mayhew, as the villain of the piece, Captain Hook with Meredith Creffield (in her fourth role in the show) as the cute but seriously sinister Crocodile.
The cast is completed by the Mermaids, Laura Johnstone and Freya Roberts, together with the six-piece Peter Pan Orchestral Ensemble (Charlie Damazer (MD), Lily Damazer, Zoe Mattelaer, Louis Moisan, Rachel Moisan and Lynette Le Riche).
Rehearsals for the show have been taking place since last September, as the group only meets once a week and there is awful lot to get right in this two hour 40 minute show, and that dedication pays off with some very well crafted characters played by actors from six years old up to “you-should-know-better-at-your-age” veteran actors with just a few slips along the way – just to prove that they are human.
Peter’s self-absorbed arrogance works very well against Hook’s desire for revenge for his lost left hand, which makes it very easy for the cast to take the sides of “good” and “evil” and for the audience to sit firmly in the Peter Pan camp – as we wait for his inevitable ultimate victory.
Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure is a challenging piece, as the musical numbers are unfamiliar to most and the production therefore relies on a talented cast to take the audience along on the journey with them. Luckily there is an awful lot of talent in the Uckfield Theatre Guild and they rise to the challenge admirably.
**** Four Stars