Pantomime Review: Peter Pan, Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

Image Source: Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 11 2017
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

The Epstein panto is as much an annual Christmas tradition as mince pies, work parties and the visit of the Coca-Cola truck which the usual doom-and-gloomers have been inexplicably trying to block. The formula is slightly switched up this year in a few ways, which combined with the usual big laughs and occasionally mature levels of humour (which the younger kids thankfully don't cotton onto), ensures that Peter Pan is another great festive offering.

Yes, Peter Pan; not traditionally a story which is brought to life in pantomime form, but one which perfectly adapts to the setting when performed by this experienced and talented crew. Here, Lewis Pryor takes up the title role, and quickly catches the eye of Wendy (Joanne Harper) as they travel to Neverland with a little help from Tinkerbell (Claire Simmo).

However, there are dangers ahead, not least Captain Hook (Dane Bowers), who wants to have Peter Pan killed for his own personal rewards, and is willing to go to another level (sorry) to do it. He has assistance from the daft Smee (Chris Barton) and the even dafter Dame Betty (Michael Chapman), but resistance from Tiger Lily (Georgia Austin) and the magic of Neverland ensures that the battle goes down to the wire, with Peter Pan not only needing to survive the dastardly Hook, but also slowly becoming attracted to Wendy. Will there be true love, and will Hook's evil plot be taken down?

Everyone performs to a high standard, as is the norm for the Epstein pantos. Several children were drafted into the cast as The Lost Children, and several kids had some hilarious lines, with one or two having that talent of making people laugh through simple facial expressions and mannerisms. As is often the case, there were plenty of jokes about local people and situations (the idea of a "drawn-out and depressing" situation for Peter Pan was initially assumed by Smee to be describing an Everton game), and the settings were very well-crafted in an attempt to create the most authentic Neverland backdrops possible. Top it off with some cool visual effects (such as characters flying and pyrotechnics), plenty of dance routines (though some of the dancers appeared to wish that they were somewhere else), colourful costumes, and some clever in-jokes (at one point there appeared to be production issues, only for it to be the set-up for one of the show's funnier planned scenes), and you have a really enjoyable panto experience for all the family.

Not for the first time, though, it's Michael Chapman as Dame Betty who steals the show with loads of great one-liners. The tone was set very early on with some near-the-knuckle jokes relating to certain well-known faces on television, and they continued throughout the show. At times, "risqué" would have been a generous way to describe such lines as her true name being "Betty Swallocks" and her somewhat intimate suggestion for Hook to pop around her house. Many of the attendees were in uproar laughing at Betty's remarks, and there's no doubt that her character is the one that people will most remember when seeing the show. The audience themselves contributed at times (one youngster hilariously shouted "Lewis!" to Peter Pan when he was in danger), though some attendees unfortunately tried to take over the entire show at one point, which is never a good thing. Otherwise, though, this was a lot of fun.

I would heartily recommend that you bring the family along to see Peter Pan at the Epstein over Christmas. You'll have a great time, and everyone will be feeling truly Christmassy when all is said and done. Just be prepared for some potentially awkward questions from the little 'uns afterwards!

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding

Dane Bowers: "Peter Pan Is Going To Be Special"

Image Source: Twitter

Written By: Mark Armstrong

There aren't many things that Dane Bowers hasn't done, from singing to DJ'ing to starring in television programmes. But pantomime is a world that he is about to place a great focus upon as he performs in the role of Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Epstein Theatre for the Christmas and New Year season. We spoke to Dane about the show, his career so far and why this production will take pantomime to - yes! - Another Level.

Firstly, tell us about your character in Peter Pan.

I'm playing Captain Hook, which I'm looking forward to. I haven't decided what kind of Hook I'm going to be yet, as there have been loads of Peter Pan films. With me, you can't really beat Hook, which starred Dustin Hoffman as Hook. So, I think that's where I'm going to get my inspiration from.

Will this mark your debut in pantomime?

No, I've done one before. I did a panto in Northwich a few years ago, where I was Prince Charming in Cinderella. So, I'm really looking forward to being a baddie, as you can have a lot of fun with it.

You're best known for being a part of the band Another Level. How did the formation of the group come about?

We actually went to a performing art's school. Two of us did, anyway; I went to The Brit School. And I didn't really sing; drama was what I did. Singing was something that I knew I could do, but it wasn't something that I really concentrated on. So I was lucky that I fell into it with another guy, Wayne (Williams), who had already met up with record labels. They asked me to be a part of this project, and it was the greatest choice that I ever made, I guess (laughs).

What would you consider to have been your favourite songs from Another Level?

Freak Me was obviously a big one because it was #1, and it was the song that people would look at now. But people forget that Be Alone No More was our first ever single. Jay-Z was on that tune, which at the time was phenomenal. We worked with Wu-Tang; I did a really good song which I loved with Calised, which was for Phil Collins' album that everybody did. It was us, Brandy and Lil Kim, so that was a good song. There's been some good ones, but Freak Me is hard to top.

Another Level reunited for The Big Reunion, but you chose not to participate, later becoming part of the 5th Story group which brought together multiple soloists. Tell us why you chose to go down this route rather than reforming the original band?

We were going to do Another Level, but two of the guys were um'ing and ah'ing about it anyway. At the time, Mark (Baron) was married to Louise Sugar, and worked for Alan Sugar, so for him to get that amount of time off would have been difficult, and one of the other guys lived in New York. They'd been asking us to do it for years, and we were close, but we just couldn't do it. So then the show (producers) asked me to be involved in this other group (5th Story). I'd done something like that before, but I knew the other people in it so I thought it'd be good fun, so I just said "Yes, let's do it".

Do you still keep in touch with the band members now?

I haven't for a while, actually. We're all pretty good friends, though. I saw Bradley not too long ago, though I don't think he was in that one (laughs). As I say, I'd been in another one for MTV before 5th Story. I'm still good friends with Gareth Gates; he's a good lad, and funnily enough he's the biggest p*ss-head on the whole show, so that's always fun! I haven't seen the others in a while, to be honest. We do get on, though; I'm in Dubai a lot at the moment so it's hard to catch up with them at the moment.

What plans do you have for the future?

As I say, I'm in Dubai; I have a TV production that I'm working on there. It's a show called Come Dine Dubai which is me going to different restaurants there and cooking with the head chefs, so that's looking good. I still DJ too; I'm gonna get some DJ gigs while I'm up here in Liverpool to keep that going. Apart from that, though, I can never decide what I want to do!

Finally, tell us why people should see Peter Pan.

I was saying before that for me, pantomime is a great institution in England; I think that every kid should go and watch panto. You need to get them away from the computer and to come and watch it. It's great for the adults too as well; Michael Chapman, who is writing the script, is very close to the lines so there'll be a lot of adult humour. So if you bring your kids, you're still going to enjoy it. Plus it's Peter Pan, which is going to be very different for a panto. We've all seen Cinderella and Snow White shows which are amazing, but Peter Pan is going to be special.

Peter Pan will head into the Epstein Theatre from Friday December 8 to Monday January 1 2018. To book your tickets, click here.