Advertisement

Culture Theatre

Review: Peter Pan in Wonderland

PETER PAN IN WONDERLAND by Chris Earle (Ross Petty Productions). At the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge). Runs to January 3. $27-$99. rosspetty.com. See Continuing. Rating: NNN

Only Ross Petty could get away with singing My Way at the end of a show.

When his mustachioed Captain Hook breaks into a few bars of the Sinatra anthem near the close of Peter Pan In Wonderland, he earns his ovation. After all, this is his 20th holiday panto, and the final one in which he’ll be getting (intentional) boos.

It’s just a shame he’s not going out with a stronger work. You don’t look for a lot of logic in these pantos, but Chris Earle‘s mashup of Peter Pan and Alice In Wonderland isn’t the funniest concoction, and I missed the sharp local references from other recent productions.

Peter Pan (a permanently grinning Anthony Macpherson) and Wendy (Steffi DiDomenicantonio) find themselves down in Wonderland, which is presided over by the haughty Queen of Hearts (Jessica Holmes).

The plot involves something about Captain Hook wanting a locket filled with magic pixie dust to open the queen’s tickle trunk. But it’s really just an excuse for lots of mildly suggestive mugging, particularly by Dan Chameroy‘s inimitable drag character Tinkerbum and Eddie Glen‘s Smee. There’s a “throw as many jokes at the audience and see which ones get laughs” approach to the script that soon becomes exhausting. And apart from one gag about Adele’s Hello, the songs aren’t that funny.

But the performers are up for anything. There’s a cute bit of po-mo play between Chameroy and DiDomenicantonio in which he’s convinced she’s Liza Minnelli (a role DiDomenicantonio has played before). A shame Holmes, who does a killer Liza, didn’t get in on the action, too. And Petty has great fun as a Donald Trump clone.

The show’s design is sharper than ever, from Ben Chiasson and Beth Kates‘s vivid video designs to Michael Gianfrancesco‘s stunning sets and costumes. I loved the in joke of having the queen’s playing card entourage as 5-6-7-8 backup singer/dancers.

And this is the best danced panto I’ve seen. Jordan Clark (Alice) and especially Lamar Johnson (Mad Hatter) are two of the most naturally gifted hoofers I’ve seen in a local musical. The limber, charismatic Johnson adds the “wonder” to this Wonderland.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted