"Pan on a wing and a prayer"

Review of Pan from the Sydney Morning Herald, May 14 by BRYCE HALLETT


George&BoysThere has been sufficient pandemonium in the making of Pan to fill more pages than J.M. Barrie's enduringly popular tales of Peter Pan, the boy destined never to become a man.

It has been a difficult birth and much is riding on the success of Pan, a lavishly treated play promoted like a musical (it's not) and which its producers are loath to label a pantomime for fear of selling the $9.8 million-plus production short.

What, then, is Pan? How well is the wishful story about the power of the imagination told?

On a number of fronts, the production has been conceived as a film, a process fraught with difficulties as Disney Inc discovered when it translated Beauty and The Beast and The Lion King from screen to stage. The look and atmosphere of Pan are sumptuous and colourful. It resembles a children's pop-up book with shades of The Pirates of Penzance and The Phantom of the Opera - yes, there's a boat gliding across the stage in fog. Pan is visually appealing. Its great asset is the weird, wonderful creatures: the Grocer Bird, the fribbits, Sheldon the cynical snurtle and, of course, the voracious crocodile which surfaces in true panto fashion, much to the eye-popping delight of children. The contribution of Jim Henson's Creature Shop and Peter Foy's flying innovations are crucial to Pan's magic and appeal. Their imaginative leaps give the light, sentimental storyline an invigorating wonder and idiosyncratic charm. The furry and scaly fauna risk stealing the show, as the entrance of Nana the sheepdog quickly testified. The tall poppy honkers also have a habit of seizing the limelight, usually when the drama sags or when director John Banas is unsure how to propel the action forward.

The script by Frank Gauntlett, an adaption of J.M. Barrie's Peter & Wendy, is witty in parts, with puns, malapropisms and tongue-twisters - and an occasional double entendre - to keep children and adults amused. But there are flat, uninspired patches and the potential emotion of the piece fails to be stirred. Troy Woodcroft and Raelee Hill give strongly delineated performances as Pan and Wendy, but they are limited in scope and little opportunity is given them to offer deeper interpretations.

Hook&SmeeThe production demands more inspired touches and interaction to become greater than the sum of its parts.

The derivative pop song used to accompany their flying "duet" struck me as superficial and contrived. At least in a musical, performers directly express a character's emotion through song, but here the prerecorded soundtrack undercuts the potential for dynamic live performance.

Pan has high production values but there is too little connection between the actors and the creatures inhabiting the fantasy playground. Too often Banas's idea of drama is to pump up the volume and create commotion. The Indian Camp scene straight after interval is exactly that - "camp" - while I've seen more edge-of-seat fight sequences at Bell Shakespeare, Company B and the STC.

Pan is overlong considering how light the story is. Changes are desperately needed to give it a more unifying vision. An attention-seizing opening wouldn't go astray and the Skull Rock scene concluding Act I needs work to generate the level of excitement it is striving for.

In the figure of Captain Hook, Philip Quast puts the panache in Pan. His sonorous voice, comic flair and near-flawless turn of an alliterative phrase is a rare treat. Quast, who shone as Javert in Les Miserables and as Dr Neville Craven in The Secret Garden, is commanding, his depth of experience ensuring he finds secure footing amid the marvels. The actor also manages to make Hook fresh and spontaneous, never for a moment forgetting his audience.

Bill Kerr invests the narrator J.M. Barrie with sober stature and Terry Bader, Daniel Mitchell and Jenny Vuletic add strong support. As the doddery Old Cookson, Stuart Wagstaff is suitably more directionless and dazed than The Lost Boys while the ensemble is buoyant if not always on an even keel.

Woodcroft joyfully negotiates an exciting, liberating finale but without Quast's presence and authority Pan - for all its screen and stage tricks - would lose ballast quicker than the Jolly Roger.

With further refinement and resolute direction, the extravagant vaudeville should have no trouble staying afloat, maybe even to steer a course to a treasure all its own.




Thus sharply did the terrified three learn the difference between an island of make-believe and the same island come true...'

JM Barrie 'Peter & Wendy'

PAN

Capitol Theatre Sydney 14 May 2000

Reviewed by Elizabeth

Starring Philip Quast, Raelee Hill, Bill Kerr, Stuart Wagstaff and introducing Troy Woodcroft as Peter Pan.


Picture of HookWhen the lights went down at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on Sunday, heralding the beginning of the journey to Neverland, it wasn't just the children in the audience who wriggled in their seats and spoke in hushed whispers of anticipation to their neighbours. Child and grownup alike glanced around in suppressed glee as the stage grew dark, to the sound of whooshing wind and disembodied laughter and clouds rushed across the front curtain. Then the ghostly figure of JM Barrie appeared, his face lit from below by a flashlight - in true storytelling fashion.

And so our story begins.. the age-old tale of the boy who never grew up, of Wendy, John and Michael, of Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys, the Pirates, Tiger Lily and the Indians, of the dastardly Captain Hook and the ominous ticking Crocodile.

Musical Entertainment AG and Jim Henson's Creature Shop have spent several million dollars and an equivalent amount of time, sweat and tears to bring the world of Peter Pan into the new century and what a job they have done!

From the minute we hear Michael Harvey's magnificent score we are transported to another place and time, then transported again as Peter tosses fairy dust willy-nilly and leads Wendy, John and Michael into the starlit sky - second to the right and straight on till morning.

New Zealand director John Banas has shaped together a superbly fantastic show worthy of an international tour for the next decade or so at least. The production is slick, fast and furious, with only a few minor hiccups that will sort themselves out as the show progresses beyond its initial fourteen public performances.

Lighting designer Jenny Kagan (of the famed National Theatre production of Oklahoma! featuring Aussie Hugh Jackman) has spent close to three months working with her electrics team to transport us to Neverland and she does so in bewitching fashion, invoking magic at every turn. Neverland itself is the wondrous creation of set designer Ben Dickens, a veteran of London's West End. His otherworldly picture-book trees, bushes and rocks combine perfectly with the Creature Shop's beasties who appear in the form of wiggling Fribbits (half frogs/half rabbits), a Grocer Bird ('like a Butcher Bird only Grocer..' *chortle*), Honkers (like giraffes with a serious nasal condition) and a charmingly droll Snurtle (half snail/half turtle) named Sheldon. These guys seriously steal the show.

Peter Pan is played with unnatural zest and energy by Troy Woodcroft, who tumbles, twists and twirls like an over-wound spring. Woodcroft's voice and stage presence let him down somewhat in the presence of more seasoned actors, but his acrobatic skills stand him in good stead as the perennial child and his flying antics are breath-taking.

Raelee Hill is charming as Wendy, her elfin features lighting up at every new occurrence and she is no slouch in the flying department either. Gauntlett and Banas have also given Wendy a new life not seen in previous versions of the story - she stands her ground with some very slick swords'man'ship and, frankly, shows up most of the boys!

But it is Philip Quast who holds the show together.

His initial appearance as the endearingly bumbling George Darling gives no indication of the thrills to come. He swaggers on nastily as Hook through the melee of squabbling pirates and the audiences draws an awe-inspired breath. Quast stands head and shoulders above the rest of the cast in his boots and feathered hat, a solid, powerful, dynamic and devilishly charming Captain Hook, a man not to be trifled with. JM Barrie once said that Hook had to terrify both children and adults. Were he alive today, Mr Barrie would have cast Philip Quast as Hook without a second thought. He is the obvious grownup in a cast of youngsters, which is as I'm convinced Barrie intended Hook to be. Quast is grounded, unfaltering and simply marvellous. Years of experience give him a depth of presence and charm that keep you transfixed by his every move. During the battle between the Pirates and the Indians, Hook strolls calmly through the chaos, pausing only to trip an Indian with a delicately pointed toe before returning to the front of the stage to bellow for the action to cease.

Hook and Pan

Quast's Hook is frightening, dangerous and cocky, his dialogue is crisp and snappy, punchlines delivered with a razor-sharp timing and the occasional arch of a coiffed eyebrow. For such a big man he is incredibly light on his feet, scarlett cloak swirling as he spins on his heel, dancing a victory jig over the prospect of another duel with Pan. The audience boo and hiss delightedly at his every entrance and gives as good as he gets - spikey retorts and evil leers into the front row. He is the perfect villain and I fear that more than one cheer at his ultimate demise (swallowed whole by the crocodile!) was tainted with disappointment that Quast's fiendishly charismatic performance was over.

Writer Frank Gauntlett has returned to Barrie's original text and referred to it more closely than the popular version Disney presented us with in the 1953 animated film or the traditional stage play still being performed on the West End, while breathing new life into the text with modern references and phrasing. Gauntlett has filled his script with his trademark double entendres and wordplay, a delight for the audience and the very devil for the performers - Quast in particular has several nasty ones he handles with a finesse and style that took this audient's breath quite away.

The Lost Boys, Pirates and Indians (led by a decidedly Xena-esque whip-cracking Tiger Lily) add energetic and well-choreographed mayhem and action, a pirate ship reminiscent of Les Miz barricades makes a grand entrance through the fog and a thrillingly monstrous crocodile sneaks up on Hook from stage left - actually 'walking' on all fours - (the ultimate Henson creature, twenty feet long and four feet high with scaly skin that moves), sending chills down the spines of everyone in the crowd and inspiring more than one 'He's behind you!' from the gallery. There are explosions, tidal-sized waves made of smoke and enough 'oohs' and 'aahs' to forgive them the rather visible flying wires and occasional muffed technical effect. All the bumps will be ironed out, given time.

This is a spectacular production for the entire family - the kids will love the creatures and the constant action and Philip Quast provides enough humorous witticisms and charm for the grownups to feel intellectually stimulated while they secretly wish for the chance to fly to Neverland, tumble with Fribbits and battle the diabolical Captain Hook.

I know I did.



"A Little Tinkering and it Would Fly "

Phil at Opening Night Party.Review of Pan from The Daily Telegraph, Monday 15 May 2000 by Michael Bodey

The most anticipated Australian theatre event since The Boy from Oz has every chance, after a little tinkering, to replicate the boy's success.

But this boy, Pan, "the most wonderful boy in all space and time" must first decide who his audience is.

This local adaption of J M Barrie's classic fairytale Peter Pan has the makings of a success on many levels. It is a high-tech, fantastic delight full of magical creatures, impressive sets and some cheeky vibrant performances.

It is also a little too complicated for children and not quite powerful enough emotionally for adults.

A dazzling array of technical wizardry, special effects and, of course, a flying Pan and Wendy in Neverland are enough to ensure this show's immediate future.

The three leads, Troy Woodcroft as Peter Pan, Raelee Hill as Wendy and Philip Quast as Captain Hook bring varied assets to the performance. Quast gives the show its life, mischievously involving the audience in pantomime play and eating up every gag. Woodcroft is a bundle of energy and Hill is a sweet, serene find - and the best swordsperson.

Frank Gauntlett's writing is witty but a little wordy. Its faithfulness to Barrie's language is both a help and a hindrance.

But the real stars are the animatronic creatures and puppets produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Cut 20 minutes, push the wizz-bangery, simplify the language and let the actors loose and Pan will fly.

Phil at Opening Night Party.



We would like to thank Matt for providing us with the Opening Night Party pictures.



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