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Peter Pan: A New Pantomime Adventure

 
Pete Shaw Review by Pete Shaw 4 Published: 6 Dec 2025 Greenwich Theatre Show Dates: 28 Nov 2025-11 Jan 2026

Greenwich Theatre’s latest trip to Neverland takes the familiar tale, gives it a vigorous shake and watches the glitter fall where it may (much of it down the back of my neck at the show finale). This time we follow Wendy Darling’s great granddaughter, also called Wendy, who toils in the Neverclean car wash for a miserly boss. A family heirloom necklace lights the way for Peter Pan, who sweeps her off to Neverland in a flying Vauxhall Astra. From that moment the show gleefully abandons Barrie’s map. Tinkabell slips Captain Hook a vial of the elixir of youth. Hook feeds it to Polly his parrot who becomes an egg. Naturally Hook sets out to find the source – the Fountain of Youth – and the whole plot sidles into a cheeky Indiana Jones spoof.

Spargo’s swaggering Hook keeps the whole madcap adventure afloat

The staging leans into the mayhem with a confidence that says this is panto season so buckle in. Olivia Williamson’s Tinkabell heelys across the stage with a brilliantly sulky Gen Z scowl. Louise Cielecki’s Smee bursts with energy and bounces off Paul Critoph’s endearingly inept henchman Starky. Samuel Baily’s Peter Pan arrives with a frontman swagger and a Boy Scout sense of decency. The show, however, belongs to Anthony Spargo. His Captain Hook minces, sashays and deadpans through every scene with weapons-grade comic timing. He corpses his fellow actors, comments on the wobbly special effects and whips the audience into delighted submission. It is a masterclass in villainy with a wink tucked into every line.

The comedy lands with reliable regularity. The double entendres are pitched with just the right level of mischief so the adults roar while the children remain blissfully oblivious. Viral memes jostle with digs at Plumstead, Lewisham and even the Rose and Crown next door taking friendly hits. The musical numbers come thickly layered. Some classics appear in gleefully rewritten form while a few newer tracks feel more like filler although the younger members of the crowd seem perfectly content.

The night offers plenty of fun, yet the production cannot quite shake the sense of something missing. Greenwich last tackled Peter Pan a decade ago when the unbeatable pairing of Andrew Pollard and Anthony Spargo set a high bar for dame and villain. Pollard’s departure to bigger stages has left a gap that is increasingly felt. This version lacks a dame, which removes the joyous parade of outrageous costumes and denies Spargo the sparring partner who once matched his gleeful mischief. Without that counterbalance the panto feels thinner. The story is loose, the spectacle lighter and the whole enterprise sits closer to a spirited Gang Show than the full-throttle Greenwich pantos of old. Spargo’s magnetic Hook keeps the evening afloat, yet even he cannot disguise a slightly watered-down return to Neverland.

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The Blurb:

When the infamous Captain Hook stumbles upon a mysterious map to a hidden secret, he launches a wild quest to claim its power! But Neverland’s favourite flying hero isn’t about to let him get away with it! Join Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinker Bell as they soar into action to outwit Hook and his pirate crew in this high flying magical adventure!