Review: Peter Pan at Polka Theatre for winter pirate magic

When going to a theatre, I used to run out as soon as a show had finished to avoid being stuck in a queue on the way out. This strategy doesn’t really work with 27-month-old Baby Girl in tow.

Last Saturday, I was struggling to explain the fact that the Peter Pan performance we had been invited to see in Polka Theatre in Wimbledon was most definitely over and it didn’t really help that we wanted to see more. We still had to follow the crowd down the stairs to the exit.

Baby Girl and I went to see an all ages welcome performance to experience Peter Pan, and she knew about Peter Pan from before and truly loved the show. As a mum, however, I understand why this show is aimed at children aged 6 and over. The age group it’s aimed at will be even more familiar with the story, and although the story of Peter Pan can be sweet, it also includes fighting and the scary Captain Hook.

The Polka Theatre show is action-packed. There’s smoke, loud noises, a fast-paced story, and at one point, the actors even walk through where the audience is sitting.

The end was still the highlight for us. We missed the very beginning of the show due to traffic, so the scene when Peter Pan, Wendy and the brothers fly from Neverland back to London was our favourite scene. The actors didn’t do the actual flying, but there were smaller puppets that looked very much like the actors–very exciting for children and adults alike.

Peter Pan is on in the main theatre at Polka Theatre until 14 February 2015. The running time is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including an interval, and the show is recommendeed for ages 6 and over. Children younger than 6 can only attend performances marked ‘All Ages Welcome’.

Photo by Robert Workman

Tags: Children's theatre, London, Peter Pan, Polka Theatre, Review, Theatre