Pirates! Crocodiles! The exuberance of human flight! Ella Hickson’s rollicking adaptation honours the adventure and enchantment of JM Barrie’s 1904 play about a boy who won’t grow up while also exploring its psychological depths. It features a nimble Daniel Krikler as a feral, sybaritic Peter Pan, Hannah Saxby as a physically gung-ho, jolly-super Wendy Darling, and Toby Stephens as a winningly louche Captain Hook. The design, the effects and the vibe are all spot-on.
If it doesn’t quite make you believe in fairies, it will convince you of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) ability to mount a lavish family entertainment. Weird that the company has chosen to remount this child-friendly show now and programme the chewier Twelfth Night for the Barbican’s lucrative December-January Christmas slot.
