By Isle of Wight Observer
By Philip Fryer
At the Apollo Youth Theatre, at the beginning of August, Peter Pan Forever, written by Karl Whitmore and directed by Mish Whitmore, must be hailed as a true triumph.
The show took three years to come to fruition. I admire the courage of all those who staunchly stuck to this challenge, as the outcome made it so worthwhile. A cautious estimate of the entire team totals around 60.
The team emerged as a skilled, empathetic, respectful group of young actors, movers and dancers, with stagecraft and each other as their sole focus.
How to get Peter, Eva and Wren to fly, without Hollywood? Apollo Youth Theatre did it carefully, all moving together with respect for the play and each other. I wished for a return to the unfaked expediencies of a simpler age. Pick the actor up, hold him/her horizontally, and steer. He/she will fly.
The four human(oid) groups of cast were all so integrated. Superb choreography and movement from the Mermaids, lovely slithering by the lost boys, and old-fashioned “swashbuckling” by the pirates.
The three puppets were unforgettable. Scarlett, the parrot, was mesmerising, her gibberish-spouting commentator irresistible. The crocodile took our breath away, and I want to see the octopus in every show from now.
The three central characters, played by Harrison Hartup, Lily Boudewijn and Isla Rea, moved and interacted superbly. My guests all agreed with me that Black Nell, Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily and Nico, joined Hook in keeping us all “hooked”.
Superb job, all of you. Please tell us what’s going to be next.