Peter Pan

Peter Pan flew into Brisbane just in time for the school holidays in a captivating and witty production of J.M. Barrie’s eternally youthful character.

Trey McIntyre’s ballet, first performed by Houston Ballet in 2002, has been meticulously recreated by McIntyre for its Australian premiere by Queensland Ballet. Using shadow dance, Asian puppetry, flying, and swordfights coupled with comic-book fantasy, this was a version of Barrie’s story that has never been seen before. In fact the Darling home had a surrealist quality not unlike a Tim Burton movie, and with the mother and father wearing masks the allusion was magnified.

From the beginning when Tinkerbell appeared, to the end when she spread fairy-dust over the entire stage, the production enchanted. A good percentage of that enchantment was the brilliant costumes by Jeanne Button (courtesy of Houston Ballet), and imaginative sets by Thomas Boyd based on his originals for the Houston premiere.

Rian Thompson’s Peter Pan was a muscular muscled young man who captured the boyishness of the character and danced with vigour. His mid-air aerial spins and body flips were spectacular and memorable. Laura Hidalgo brought a delicacy to Wendy giving a beautiful portrait of a girl on the cusp of womanhood, and was particularly poignant in her final scenes when she had matured and held her own child.

Shane Wuerthner’s father and Katherine Rooke’s mother were the perfect parents in the Darling home scenario, austere and rigid, yet distraught when they find their children missing. Their dancing was exquisitely expressive. Hao Bin’s Captain Hook was a delightful piece of roguish villainy whose menace was cartoonish and fun. As his son James, Charles Riddiford successfully transitioned from wimpy under-his-father’s-thumb to full-throated member of the tribe. Sophie Zoricic spent most of the performance en-pointe as Tinkerbell creating a wispy and magical sprite, Camilo Ramos’s John was boisterous, while Teri Crilly’s Michael had a mischievous twinkle that was a total audience pleaser.

Peter Pan wouldn’t be Peter Pan without the crocodile and in this production the reptile’s every lumbering appearance drew laughs. The use of a small stage-within-a-stage to show Wendy’s nightmare with shadow dancers, and Hook’s school-days as a silent picture show was most effective helped by Christina Giannelli’s clever primary-colour lighting plot. A family tableau behind an oversized picture-frame top and tailed the show to striking effect. The corps de ballet were in their element as pirates, redskins, fairies and shadows, while the Lost Boys added a level of humour to the whole that was reckless, rough and noisy.

All in all, great entertainment for the young and young at heart!

Peter Pinne

Photographer: David Kelly