Peter Pan – Gate Theatre – Review

Until 14th January, 2024
Photo: Ros Kavanagh

At the start of this production, we are introduced to life in the Darling household. We meet Mr Darling (Shane O’Reilly) along with his wife Mrs Darling (Clare Dunne) and their three kids. They have an unusual nanny in the form of a dog called Nana (Bryan Quinn). In recent times, Mrs Darling thinks she’s noticed someone at the window of the kid’s bedroom, which is all the more surprising as the room is on the third floor! The potential intruder turns out to be Peter Pan (Liam Bixby), who whisks the kids away to Neverland, where adventure awaits!

Peter Pan first appeared in J. M. Barrie’s novel The Little White Bird (1902), which was aimed at adults. The character later appeared in several of Barrie’s other works, including the play ‘Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’ which premiered on the 27th of December, 1904. After the success of the play, Barrie adapted the story into a novel called Peter and Wendy, published in 1911. The animated version of the story, Walt Disney’s Peter Pan was released in 1953, which is how most people are familiar with the tale.

This is a new version of the much-loved story by Roddy Doyle. While Roddy has reworked the text, changing the story’s location to “20th century Dublin”, he has largely kept the story intact, with a few minor changes. The biggest alteration is to the dialogue and accents, with the original London accents transformed into modern-day Dublin. Peter Pan quickly becomes Peter Sliced Pan, with ‘today’s bread today’ becoming a running gag!

There are some lovely moments with puppets, with Tinkerbell flying through the air, worked by the various puppeteers. We also see a large crocodile at one point, which moves over the heads of the audience before climbing onto the stage. Bryan Quinn wears a fluffy, brown costume as he plays a dog called Nana, barking and growling his emotions. He also plays the pirate Seafood Thomas, to prove he is not restricted to nonverbal roles!

This is very much an ensemble work, with the lines and gags shared amongst the full cast. The cast embraces the spirit of the production and the boisterous nature of the script. Liam Bixby is a scampish Peter Pan, who is playful and good-natured throughout. Clare Dunne plays the effervescent Captain Cook, who blames her ills upon Peter Pan, swearing revenge upon him. She has some impressive costumes along with her deadly hook. The other main character is Wendy Darling, played by Caitríona Williams. While she is only a child herself, she serves as a mother figure to the Lost Boys, telling them bedtime stories. Wendy wants more from her relationship with Peter, despite his childish nature.

The production is suitable for children aged 8+ and while it is not a panto, it’s clearly aimed at a younger audience. The children in the audience seemed suitably enthused by what they saw. The story has a series of adventures, finishing with the battle between the Lost Boys and the Pirates. It’s a good-natured and fun production, with the cast displaying impressive energy.

Cast:
Liam Bixby – PETER PAN
Emma Rose Creaner – TOOTLES / JANE
Darren Dixon – MICHAEL DARLING
Clare Dunne – CAPTAIN HOOK / MRS. DARLING
Gemma Kane – TIGER LILY
Aaron Katambay – RASHER
Callum Maxwell – JOHN DARLING
Shane O’Reilly – SMEE / MR. DARLING
Tierra Porter – STARKEY
Bryan Quinn – NANA / SEAFOOD THOMAS
Orla Scally – TWIN 1 & TWIN 2
Caitríona Williams – WENDY DARLING

Creatives:
Director – Ned Bennett
Set Designer – Niall McKeever
Costume Designer – Katie Davenport
Lighting Designer – Sarah Jane Shiels
Composer – Stefan French
Sound Designer – Johnny Edwards
Casting Director – Amy Rowan
Movement Director – Jonah McGreevy
Puppet Director – Sarah Mardel
Associate Lighting Designer – Matt Burke
Resident Assistant Director – Ciara Fleming
Assistant Movement Director – Anja Nicholson
Puppet Designer/Maker – Caroline Bowman
Puppet Makers – Holly Groves, Suzanne Law, Victoria Baylis
Casting Associate – Clíona Dukes
Casting Assistant – Eva-Jane Gaffney
Casting Assistant – Emily Perrott

Crew
Production Manager – Jody Robinson
Deputy Stage Manager – Barbara Hughes
Assistant Stage Manager – Aoife Malin
Assistant Stage Manager – Andrew Dawson
Dressers – Sarah Higgins, Dara Gill, Hazel Ryan
Maintenance – Megan Cassidy
Hair and Make Up – Sarah McCann
Costume Maker – Denise Assas
Costume (Lir) – Thea Dong
Assistant Stage Manager (Lir) – Alessandro Molina
Assistant Stage Manager (Lir) – Beth Thomas
Prop Maker (Lir) – Dragana Stevanic
Production Carpenter – Ian Thompson
Stage Technician – Jay Lambert
Stage Technician – Gus McDonagh
Stage Technician – El Mostapha Kaddouri
Stage Technician – Ross Mc Sherry
Stage Technician – Aidan Crowe
Lighting Technician – Meabh Brennan
Lighting Technician – Cathal Brace
Lighting Technician – Matt McGowan
Lighting Technician – Ian Synott
Lighting Technician – Peter Bond
Lighting Programmer – Eoin Lennon
Lighting Programmer – Susan Collins
Sound 1 – Marie Zschlommler
Sound Engineer – Mark King
Sound Engineer – Paddy Creegan
Sound Engineer – Jason Fallon
Sound Engineer – Jody Trehy
Sound Engineer – Cian Murphy
Sound Engineer – Edu Prado

Actor Liam Bixby pictured in the Gate Theatre’s magical new production of J.M Barrie’s PETER PAN, written by bestselling author Roddy Doyle. Directed by Ned Bennett, PETER PAN opens at the Gate Theatre on Saturday 11th November for a strictly limited period. Tickets from gatetheatre.ie. Photo: Ros Kavanagh