On paper the idea of taking a talented young group of actor musicians, the inspiration of JM Barrie's story of Peter Pan and modern pop music and combining it into a fresh take on the story of the lost boys is good. Of course already we have had in London the extraordinary visually exciting Bat out of hell which did just this with the music of Meatloaf and will return to West End next year. It is therefore a challenge that producer Action to the word have set themselves to do the same in the small intimate venue of the main house at The Pleasance in Islington for a Christmas run.
This version which says it is inspired by JM Barrie actually stays pretty close to the familiar elements of the story : the flight from London, the shooting of Wendy, the capture of Tiger Lilly , the poisoning of Tinkerbell , the capture of Wendy by pirates , the fight with Hook and the return to their Mother and Father. However what writer and director Alexandra Spencer Jones has created is a frenetic , energetic , punk version of the story with the cast of seven leaping around the stage playing a wide range is instruments in short bursts of song dressed in their pyjamas.
