Panto Review: Peter Pan: The Outrageous Drag Panto (Phoenix Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️

There’s an undeniable link between the world of drag artists and the great festive tradition of the pantomime. Beyond the obvious, the legendary panto dames, there’s a willingness to lean into the extreme, to make yourself the butt of the joke. This being said, it makes a tremendous amount of sense for Tuckshop to be in their fourth-year of producing marvellously messy and sensationally sloppy drag pantos in the West End.

Housed in the Phoenix Theatre, things even stranger than usual are afoot in this Peter Pan, packed with an all-star, all-drag cast ranging RuPaul alums to drag king royalty. The story is the one you know and love… sort of… kind of… well, Peter’s in it and the Darling children fly with him to Neverland, at least. Billed as The Outrageous Drag Panto, Gareth Joyner’s script has a loose, malleable quality that proves to be both a strength and a detractor for the production, depending on the scene (and whether you’re there for storytelling or for sheer fun!)

Richard Energy (don’t think about it too hard) stars as the boy who never grew up, who in this version certainly hit puberty. Leaning into filthy humour and an “oi oi” laddish quality, this drag king superstar proves once again just how far he is willing to take a joke, always ensuring he gets the laugh one way or another. As his would be love-interest, Drag Race and Death Drop star Kitty Scott-Claus appears as the innocent Wendy Darling, whose virtue is intact but whose bedtime stories are awfully racy. Melding a sweet girlishness and a dive-esque quality where tasked with any physical exertion, Scott-Claus is a delight throughout the performance.

Indeed, the incredibly game cast are all more than capable of scoring laughs, be they scripted jokes or ad-libbed cover-ups to the various mishaps of the evening. Brothers John and Michael benefit greatly from the genuine chemistry between Cheryl (Hole, not the other one) and Kate Butch, particularly in the moments where they all but force one another to break character. Meanwhile, the villainous Hook and bumbling Smee are comic brilliance in the hands of Ginger Johnson and Yshee Black, the latter of whose connection with the audience is shocking and scintillating in equal measure. As aquatic friend Ethel Mermaid, Mahatma Khandi is willing to lean into the physical comedy of moving about with semi-bound legs and delivers the first of two crowd-pleasing lip-sync numbers.

However, special mention must go to Tuckshop regular Ophelia Black, credited in the programme as Villager #4 in a running gag. Multi-rolling as not only various bit-parts but also, at least for press night, as mischievous Tinkerbell, Black rolls with the countless jokes at her expense, and delivers the latter of the two lip-syncing delights. Her dying-but-not-really performance of Lady Gaga’s “Disease” is an undeniable highlight, as is a fun vignette in which she voices an on-air burlesque instructor on a fascinating radio broadcast. In an ensemble of iconic drag artists, Ophelia Love proves herself a true icon.

These pop music numbers are consistent fun, with Scott-Claus and the ensemble delivering Kesha’s “Joyride” as a saucy bedtime story, while Ginger Johnson delivers a take on Chappell Roan’s “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” to kick off the second act. Two group numbers went entirely awry on press night, first with a number about dream careers becoming increasingly scrambled, and then a disastrous take on “The Twelve Days” which never quite finished. Hysterical as it was, this was a final sign that Peter Pan is wildly under rehearsed. Often the trio of dancers, Theo Simpson, Zach Parkin, and Cameron Everitt, were the only ones who seems fully clear on Parkin’s energetic choreography, and the ad-libs and flubbed lines become increasingly obvious.

But, it’s best not to dwell on these things when solid storytelling and exemplary stagecraft simply are not the point. Peter Pan: The Outrageous Drag Panto is, frankly, not a show that wants to be conventionally good theatre. The cast, the audience, everyone involved is there for a raucous night and to give into the absurdity of it all, putting the troubles of life and stresses of the season to the back of their minds for just a couple of hours. Director Christopher D. Clegg keeps things, just about, moving, and has clearly handled things loosely and adaptably enough to allow for a delightful, if not entirely coherent, evening at the theatre.

A show for the girls, gays, theys, and anyone who wants more than anything to travel to a magical world where a good time is had by all, and the deviants of the world live freely and without judgement, it’s hard to hold Peter Pan’s shortcomings against it. Surely more rehearsal would not have gone amiss, and professionalism progressively flies, fairy-dusted, straight out the window… but this is an evening based around fun, around fantasy, and around a great deal of flamboyance. If you’re looking for an epic, well-told adventure, you’ve come to the wrong place – but you’ve also entirely missed the point!

The culture? Pop! The cast? Hilarious! The vibes? Immaculate. Leave your worries behind and follow that fairy dust to Neverland, where all are welcome and Brat Summer never truly ends.

Peter Pan plays select dates at the Phoenix Theatre until January 6th 2025

For tickets and information visit https://www.thephoenixtheatre.co.uk/shows/peter-pan