THEATRE REVIEW: Northern Ballet’s Peter Pan, Leeds Grand Theatre

(GayWebSource.com – Gay News & Press Network) – Posted by Jake Simpson – TheGayUK.com

Join Peter, Wendy, Michael and John as they fly off against a backdrop of stars to Neverland in search of adventure. Teaming up with the Lost Boys, the friends are never far away from Captain Hook and his band of pirates, who have a score to settle with Peter Pan. But as the battles ensue and the Lost Boys are captured by the pirates, it is down to Peter Pan to save the day, with a little bit of help from Tinkerbell.

★★★★

Northern Ballet’s traditional Christmas show returns to Leeds Grand Theatre with their revival of Peter Pan. The look of the piece overall had a cinematic quality to it, with the flying sequences still feeling somehow magical and the sets either being grand in scale or deceptively simplistic, but the flow of the story and the choreography by David Nixon carried the show effortlessly through its family friendly one hour forty minutes running time. The score by Academy Award winning composer, Stephen Warbeck, was playful and upbeat and the costumes, especially for the mermaid sequence, were beautifully put together.

In terms of the performers, the company was as solid as always, but particularly standing out was Antoinette Brooks-Daw, who was perfectly cast and absolutely mesmerising as the mischievous fairy, Tinkerbell, as she managed to steal every scene she was in. Equally, Javier Torres was deliciously flamboyant as Captain Hook retaining some underlying darkness in his pantomime villain performance.

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Peter Pan is aimed very squarely at the family audience and certainly hits the mark, with its straight forward narrative and clearly defined characterisations meaning that the story is accessible to even the youngest of theatre goers. Those wanting a serious ballet, or seeking in-depth characterisations may not necessarily find those qualities in this production, but what audiences will find is a charming production, something that both children and adults will find some delight in and an excellent alternative to traditional pantomime.

Peter Pan is playing at Leeds Grand Theatre until the 20th December 2014. For more information and to purchase tickets for Peter Pan; and for details of Northern Ballet’s 2015 season, visit their website at www.northernballet.com

Review by Paul Szabo

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