Review: Sail to Neverland with Peter Pan at National Theatre and MBNA Thames Clippers

‘Do you want to hear Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in a fairy voice again, Mummy?’

Four-year-old Big Girl is still talking about our outing last Thursday when we were invited by London’s river boat service MBNA Thames Clippers to go on a boat ride on the Thames and watch Peter Pan at the National Theatre. We took the boat to London Eye, enjoying seeing some of London’s beautiful landmarks lit up before walking to National Theatre on Southbank.

Some of the fun Lost Boys from Peter Pan joined us on the boat ride, looking worried when they thought there was a ticking crocodile nearby. This meant that by the time we reached National Theatre, Big Girl was completely immersed in Peter Pan and was singing ‘We’re Following the Leader’ out loud before it even started.

I had been unsure if a contemporary Peter Pan was really for us, but I left feeling the laugh-out-loud funny show was magnificent and the National Theatre will be on my radar going forward. The show, playing until 4 February, is an inventive version of Peter Pan with an urban feel.

It features live rock music, special effects, plenty of flying and impressive props, such as the crocodile, which could resemble a recycled metal sculpture with red eyes, and the pirate ship, which seemed to be made from a container and a lamp post.

The second half of the high-energy performance stood out, and I was not surprised when Big Girl was one of the first to start clapping and shouting ‘I do believe in fairies!’ when Peter Pan needed help to wake up Tinkerbell.

Big Girl may have been a tad young to see an inventive version of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, but since she is my little theatre buff I felt lucky to be able to take her. The flashing lights and loud sounds when the pirates first arrived, however, were a bit scary to her and there was one scene with a teddy bear that worried me at first. I was glad she knew the story well and she was also excited to see her the actor she had gotten to know after the MBNA boat ride, regularly shouting ‘My friend! to her.

We were also both laughing more than we were scared, mainly because the cast took us both by surprise, including the male Tinkerbell in white, the female Captain Hook in a big and bold, rocker gown and the hilarious mermaids.

This is a high-energy, urban, rocked up version of Peter Pan with a twist which makes for a memorable theatre experience.

Theatre-goers who choose to enjoy the capital’s spellbinding skyline from the river with MBNA Thames Clippers on their way to the show can enjoy a 1/3 off travel when they buy single tickets online using the code PeterPan16. They can also enjoy a £5 per person discount off evening performances of Peter Pan at the National Theatre when buying adult tickets in price band B (from £52) and price band C (from £39), subject to availability. To take advantage of the promotion and see the leader of the Lost Boys in action, use the code CLIPPERCODE at the point of purchase.

Tags: National Theatre, Peter Pan, Review, Theatre