'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' - Take A Look

'Peter Pan Goes Wrong'
if you like a farce, then this is the play for you!

If you love farce, particularly British-hatched farce, then "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" is made for you. If you are not a fan of broad comedy imported from Great Britain, then stay away from this very British comedy.

The newest import from the other side of the pond is from Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields—the co-founders and playwrights of Great Britain's Mischief Theatre Company—and the imaginary Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.

The tomfoolery starts while the audience is still trying to find their seats. And it's clear from the start that these "stagehands," aka the Cornley crew, are lacking in skills or rather they are so skilled at looking unskilled that we are witnessing a comedic genius.

Much like love is in the eye of the beholder, so is "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" as the team steps into reimagining the classic story of Peter Pan.

The narrator Francis Beaumont plays a few roles, including an actor-pirate, and to be clear, the premise of "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" has layers. There are a few messages being broadcast as the cast of over-the-top amateur thespians pour their heart into the demanding production that is filled with challenges like a temperamental electrical grid, unsafe rigging, faulty trap doors, and a list of other things that keep going wrong.

This is a play-within-the-play as we watch the charming Trevor, the wacky stage manager (Chris Leask), trying his best to keep the actors, well—safe. Overhead is the taped voice of the "co-director" Robert (Lewis), inserting his creative ideas and saying things that are politically incorrect and very awkward.

The cast giving their all includes new actors who should not be on a stage, including Dennis (Sayer), who can't remember his lines and who needs a pair of headphones to feed them to him and the stage directions. In the role of young Wendy Darling (Charlie Russell), her attempt to get on with it is commendable. You can almost see her head churning the words over and over again: "the show must go on"—and it does.

It takes great skill to cast a group of actors who are supposed to be bad by design. These thespians are superlative. They take creating mayhem to another level. In the role of Peter Pan (Greg Tannahill), just watching him deal with the faulty wirework (he can fly, remember) is suspenseful and downright hilarious.

There are some standouts in the cast, including the very fine actress Nancy Zamit, who plays several roles, including Lisa, the Darlings' housemaid, Mother Mary Darling, Curly, the Lost Boy of Neverland, and Tinkerbell, whose ability to change outfits in a blink of an eye is a revelation all its own.

Doubling as George, the father of the Darling family, and the historic Captain Hook, Chris Bean is sublime.

I will end this review as I began it. If you love farce, particularly British-hatched farce, then "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" is made for you. If you are not a fan of broad comedy imported from Great Britain, then stay away from this very British comedy.

"Peter Pan Goes Wrong" stars Matthew Cavendish, Bianca Horn, Harry Kershaw, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Leask, Henry Lewis, Ellie Morris, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Greg Tannahill, Nancy Zamit, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Stephen James Anthony, Fred Gray, and Brenann Stacker.

Now playing at The Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Opened April 19 for a limited 16½ week engagement. Running time: 2 HOURS, 5 MIN.