NEW YORK—In 2017, the UK-based Mischief Theatre company brought to Broadway the absolutely brilliant farce, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” detailing the technical and comic mishaps that occurred during the performance of an old-fashioned English murder mystery.
Now, the same creative team (Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields) tries their hand at farce once more. This time their vehicle is James M. Barrie’s beloved classic “Peter Pan,” as presented by the very, very amateur Cornley Youth Theatre. For those unfamiliar with the Barrie work, the plot can be summed up thusly: In early 1900s London, the Darling children, Wendy (Charlie Russell), John (Sayer), and Michael (Matthew Cavendish), are visited by the mischievous Peter Pan (Greg Tannahill), a boy who can fly. Also with Peter is his companion, the fairy Tinker Bell (Nancy Zamit).
In return for Wendy helping Peter regain his missing shadow, he teaches the children to fly and takes them to Neverland, a place where mermaids and pirates dwell. Among the buccaneers is Peter’s archenemy, Captain Hook (Shields). Also in Neverland is a Crocodile (Cavendish) whose appearance is heralded by an ominous ticking sound—the reptile having previously swallowed a clock.
Despite everyone’s best intentions, from the word go—or even before that actually, as shown in a wonderfully biting introduction speech by members of the Cornley production team (Shields and Lewis)—things do not go as planned.
Almost as soon as the play begins, various disasters, miscues, and technical mishaps occur again and again. The same can also be said for the resulting laughter that follows every single misstep.
Lights keep flickering and props don’t work. There are also props that are badly designed, like a pet flap far too small for the actor playing the Darling dog, Nana (Lewis), or circumstances that render a pirate (Lewis) unable to pick up a dropped sword.
There’s also a revolving set that refuses to stop revolving, sound cues that come on at the wrong time (why is there a taxicab in Neverland?), and open mikes that reveal far too much of what the backstage crew and/or production team are thinking.
A crucial decision by the “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” creative team was to make sure every actor stays completely in character regardless of what happens around them. There are no winks or asides to let those watching in on the joke, although there is some direct engagement with the audience for other reasons.
At the same time, back stories regarding the CYT actors begin to emerge. Among them, a case of unrequited love, a company romance, and the real reason certain members of the cast got their roles in this production. This allows what unfolds on stage to play out on two very different and distinct levels.
However, “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” also proves the adage that too much of anything is not necessarily a good idea. The show’s creators at times seemingly don’t know when to stop, such as with a pirate trying to find a certain prop in his costume. By the third time this happens, it begins to get old. Even the continuous crashing of Peter Pan into the scenery starts to wear thin after a while. It’s as if the conceivers of the piece began to run out of things to make funny as they try to get to the end of the play.
The actors, many of whom play multiple characters, give it their all and then some. Shields does a great slow burn as Mr. Darling, at points channeling his inner John Cleese. He also continually bursts into comic rage at the audience as Captain Hook.
Tannahill comes across nicely as Peter Pan, bringing forth the character’s sense of fun and adventure. Russell is perfect as Wendy, whether gamely soldiering on as things fall apart around her or leading the company in a spirited musical number about the wonders of make-believe.
Sayer does a fine deadpan turn as John, an actor so unable to remember his lines he has to have them fed to him via a special headset. He then regurgitates everything he hears, including some things he’s definitely not supposed to repeat aloud.
Cavendish ends up stealing the audience’s hearts as the Crocodile, and also gets more than a few cheers thanks to an unintentional revealing of backstage secrets. Zamit is fun as Mrs. Darling and the Darling maid, Lisa, earning several well-deserved rounds of applause for her quick costume changes.
Harry Kershaw (filling in for Neil Patrick Harris) garners laughs as the show’s beleaguered narrator who vainly tries to keep the plot moving forward, even as things are literally pulled out from under him. Credit also must be given to Simon Scullion’s scenic work.
“Peter Pan Goes Wrong” is lots of fun. Indeed, many audience members were laughing hysterically throughout. However, with a bit of judicious editing, the final product could have been a lot stronger than it is.
