IT’S BACK, THROUGH THE NURSERY WINDOW, STILL FLYING
Just to reassure you: this offshoot from Mischief, the crew who introduced you the perennial Play-goes-wrong, continues to be numerous enjoyable. A superb selection for the Christmas outing for cheerful adults and maybe particularly for maturing youngsters who’re simply beginning to flip their noses up at panto.
I noticed it first on the Pleasance in 2013, then the touring model a 12 months later – saying this about Adam Megiddo’s finely paced path:
Dropping in on the Richmond premiere as a result of a good friend was visiting who is aware of nothing of this crew, I discovered – with Simon Scullion’s wickedly entertaining, multi-revolving seesawing set – that it’s chief, much more creative than ever.
Authors Jonathan Sayer and Henries Shields and Lewis made a clever choice in sticking near JM Barrie’s authentic textual content with its fey sincerity and faery whimsy, quite than trying an odd panto. Indeed a very good operating joke is that the “Director” who performs Hook is enraged each time the viewers, on properly delicate prompts, shouts BEHIND YOU or O NO IT ISN’T. “It’s a traditional Christmas vignette! It’s not a panto” – “Oh yes it is!”
. The audition tapes performed in error by the sound system on the most embarrassing moments are as superb as ever, and certainly the operating joke about poor electrical connections is framed whereas the viewers is sitting down by making them unreel cables to unfeasible edges of the auditorium.
So there’s nonetheless very expert slapstick, terrifyingly haphazard upside-down flying, oddly light irony, satire on the commerce of appearing, and some jokes and moments milked simply too lengthy to sow a tiny discomfort.
And the touring solid? Splendid. Especially Jamie Birkett, surprisingly queenlike by all of the chaos, and Theo Toksvig-Stewart because the hapless Max, bringing him out correctly pathetic to many an “awwwww!” from the stalls. So be reassured, the present hasn’t acquired drained ten years on.
Touring to 14 apr with a west finish session within the Lyric in November
TOUR MOUSE – however is pretty much as good as ever
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