There is something almost wondrous about panto season at the Regent. Long queues outside the entrance full of families with the younger members hopping around in eager excitement. Will Johnny Wilkes and his “family” weave their magic again?
Oh yes they will!! This was another barnstorming performance that had all of the elements of a traditional panto with loads of audience participation, gags delivered at a cracking pace and magic, music and movement to keep all ages royally entertained.
The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan is a sequel to the traditional story. With Neverland losing its supply of pixie dust, Peter Pan (Rory Sutherland) has lost the ability to fly so Tinkerbell (Amanda Coutts) has summoned Wendy Darling (Hannah Everest) back to the land of make-believe to help with Peter’s rehabilitation. Smee (Jonathan Wilkes) acts as a go-between trying his best to bring the magic back but will he be thwarted by Captain Hook (Kai Owen)? And has the pirate’s near-death experience turned him into a kinder, more charitable soul? The answer to that is yes and no as the plot unfolds.
A beautiful aerial entrance by Tinkerbell give a taste of the joys to come and, after an energetic opening to the show, the audience is quickly involved with an impromptu dancing lesson and this is rapidly followed by a succession of gags and interplay between Wilkes and Owen that keeps the action bowling along.
It is pleasing to note that the routines that have proved so popular in the past continue to make an appearance and are met with rapturous applause by both the seasoned panto attender and the newcomer alike. For instance, the Twelve Days of Christmas with Five Toilet Rolls is back at its ebullient best. In addition, the ending of Covid restrictions has allowed the children back on the scene to upstage Johnny with their cuteness.
The actors have been perfectly cast. Owen and Wilkes have a fabulous on-stage presence together and their friendship clearly goes beyond their performance and once again shows why they are virtual Stokie royalty. Coutts is the perfect Tinkerbell whose charm and warmth is evident to the onlooker. Everest is a beautiful performer who builds a rapport with the younger audience while Sutherland was made for the part of the title role. With all displaying enthusiasm and vocal ability and backed by an energetic ensemble, an entertaining time is guaranteed.
There were inevitable concerns that the unavailability of Christian Patterson may prove detrimental to the production. I can assure prospective attenders that there is no cause for concern. If you have never been to a Regent Panto before then you will be highly entertained by a cracking show. If not, then you will be very satisfied by how the cast works together to ensure that this pantomime is every bit as good as those that have preceded it.
The audience is asked to believe in magic and have happy thoughts so that the pixie dust will flow again. It is impossible not to have happy thoughts when in the middle of a packed audience filled with glee. And, hand on heart, this production ensures that the magic of pantoland is still burning very brightly indeed.
The show lasts for approximately 2 hours 15 minutes including interval. For ticket availability contact atgtickets.com/stoke
