Theatre review - Peter Pan, The Churchill

11:08am Wednesday 2nd January 2008

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Reader Geoff Billingsley gives his thoughts on The Churchill's panto Peter Pan.

I am sure, no, certain in fact, at least once in our lives we have all been told to grow up.

But I wonder if, given the chance, we really would wish to remain young. When I knew I was going to see Peter Pan at The Churchill, Bromley, I noticed in the press all this talk of posh panto starring big-name, serious actors and wondered if I might be getting into something a little heavy.

As pantomime for me is men dressed as ladies and ridiculous story lines which take us from the sublime to the ridiculous, with a few songs thrown in for good measure.

I need not have worried. This production is good old fashioned stuff, starring, as the evil Captain Hook, Paul Michael Glaser. As all you ladies know, PMG was half of 70s cop duo Starsky and Hutch. I have it on good authority the other half, David Soul, has already been to see the show starring his old partner in crime.

There were no celebs when we went along (and thankfully no ex-soap stars) but a full house of parents and children having the time of their lives and a very funny performer called Andy Ford as Smee who is Hook's right hand man - which is just as well as he doesn't have one.

Tinkerbell was a treat, as was the lovely Wendy (Samantha Giffard), who is almost forced to walk the plank. The crocodile gets to finish a meal he started some time before and without a Jolly Roger in sight, Peter flies all over the place and good triumphs over evil once again.

We all go to bed with a cup of hot chocolate and leave growing up for another day.