Peter Pan (Regents Park Open Air Theatre)
May 19, 2018 21:55:34 GMT
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Nicholas, Someone in a tree, and 1 more like this
Post by David J on May 19, 2018 21:55:34 GMT
I am so glad I saw this again. I remember seeing this production a few years ago and found it surprisingly thought provoking
How can you connect Peter Pan to the First World War. I read in the programme how the Llewelyn Davies boys, who were J.M. Barrie’s inspiration for the Wendy children, experienced the horrors of the war. That heroic idealism that they and many men grew up with andis imbued in Peter Pan shattered
So watching Wendy and the Darling boys, now a nurse and wounded soldiers in a field hospital, escape to neverland would seem a much needed escape from reality. The show is full of fun with brilliant use of flying on a pulley system, puppetry and physical action
But there is this underlying dour and cynical tone. The ruined hospital remains and soldiers crawl out of the floorboards and trenches around the stage
The boundary between Neverland and no mans land seems blurred. By the end you begin to wonder whether there’s any difference between the war and the endless conflict between Pan and Hook (dressed like a general). Is the lady that pops up to sing Mrs Darling or a mother praying for her son to return home from Flanders?
I may be looking too much into this and this is still fun production for kids. But there is a maturity to this production that I would heartily recommend
How can you connect Peter Pan to the First World War. I read in the programme how the Llewelyn Davies boys, who were J.M. Barrie’s inspiration for the Wendy children, experienced the horrors of the war. That heroic idealism that they and many men grew up with andis imbued in Peter Pan shattered
So watching Wendy and the Darling boys, now a nurse and wounded soldiers in a field hospital, escape to neverland would seem a much needed escape from reality. The show is full of fun with brilliant use of flying on a pulley system, puppetry and physical action
But there is this underlying dour and cynical tone. The ruined hospital remains and soldiers crawl out of the floorboards and trenches around the stage
The boundary between Neverland and no mans land seems blurred. By the end you begin to wonder whether there’s any difference between the war and the endless conflict between Pan and Hook (dressed like a general). Is the lady that pops up to sing Mrs Darling or a mother praying for her son to return home from Flanders?
I may be looking too much into this and this is still fun production for kids. But there is a maturity to this production that I would heartily recommend
