Peter Pan, Sunderland Empire (From The Northern Echo)

Peter Pan, Sunderland Empire

10:33am Friday 18th December 2009

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IF only everything could take flight with a sprinkling of fairydust and the almost unseen wires required for this most testing of Christmas entertainments.

Director Jamie Wilson comes up with a novel introduction before John Challis (Captain Hook/Mr Darling), Steve Luck (Nurse Nora), Wendy (Keeran Rose Greener), Michael (William James) and John (Darren Stait) splutter their way through an over-long introduction to the plot, including explaining the strange absence of Mrs Darling.

That done, the arrival of Pan (Sunderland’s own James Baxter) is impressive apart from a singing performance that is akin to an unsuccessful X Factor audition.

The ebullient Steve Walls brings the cowardly Smee to life and he and Luck’s dame are experienced hands at gaining a laugh, even if the joke book is eerily familiar to the one I’d experienced at the main rivals of Newcastle’s Theatre Royal.

Another trim line-up of female and male dancersingers, led by Jessica Robinson’s Tiger Lily, tends to reflect the “carrying no surplus weight” nature of today’s theatre productions.

My two young companions moved well away from the adventures of Neverland when it came to selecting a highlight.

The stock comedy song, The 12 Days of Christmas, once again brought down the house as Walls pursued Five Toilet Rolls that had been hurled into the audience and finished off the proceedings by squirting the stalls with a supersoaker.

Superb slapstick.

Challis throws in his Fools and Horses’ Boycie catchphrases strategically and both the crocodile and Nana (Katie Cecil) are well costumed and performed. But there’s a little way to go before this show can be described as Pan-tastic.

■ Runs until January 3. Box office: 0844-847-2499 or SunderlandEmpire.org.uk

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