Review: All New Adventures of Peter Pan

It’s that time of year again; the tree is going up, Christmas songs are on the radio and pantomime is back – oh yes it is!

And the All New Adventures of Peter Pan at York Theatre Royal is a show you do not want to miss this festive season.

This is a production that truly has something for everybody – magic for the children, topical jokes for the adults and all the usual fun and festivities in between.

All New Adventures of Peter Pan opened on Friday 2 December and runs at York Theatre Royal until Monday 2 January 2023.

The story takes us on an enchanting journey as Elizabeth (daughter of the reputable Wendy Darling) seeks to follow in her mother’s footsteps and have her own exciting adventures with Peter Pan. With sparkling costumes and an impressive set, this production had us amazed from start to finish. 

Faye Campbell returns for her third year in York and carried the show with her joyous portrayal of the character Elizabeth. I especially loved her duets throughout with her mother Wendy (Francesca Benton-Stace) – who also doubled up as the hilarious character of Myrtle the Mermaid.

Paul Hawkyard’s villainous Captain Hook, Jonny Weldon’s sprightly Starkey and Robin Simpson as the beloved panto dame Mrs Smee, were genius casting. The three together made some truly memorable scenes where you couldn’t help but laugh out loud, especially during the typical onstage mishaps. Your face will ache the next day from laughter!

CBeebies star Maddie Moate was perfect as the cheeky Tinkerbell and she was definitely a fan-favourite with the younger audience members, as was Peter Pan himself (Jason Battersby) as he soared through the air gracefully throughout the show.

Along with an incredible ensemble cast, the characters not only told the story wonderfully but also perform some extremely catchy numbers.

The act one finale of Tina Turner’s legendary ‘Proud Mary’ was especially fantastic. We also had numbers from Matilda the Musical, The Greatest Showman, Take That and even Taylor Swift. There was something for every generation, and the choreography by Hayley Del Harrison was exceptional. 

This pantomime is a joyful dose of Christmas fun and will definitely keep your children both entertained and amazed throughout the entire show. Grab your tickets quickly, as I am sure they will be flying off the shelves, as audiences continue to love this fabulous production.

All New Adventures of Peter Pan is at York Theatre Royal until Monday 2 January 2023. Tickets start from £15 and are available here.