Crescent Theatre Studio. 24 July 2026
By Ella Hickson. Based on the novel by J M Barrie.
Director: Mark Shaun Walsh. Assistant Directors: Lewis Grego and Rudy Hudson.
Lighting design: Daisy Wilkes. Sound Design: Jacob Lenton.
Stage 2 has been one of Birmingham’s most respected youth groups for 38 years. It is a very inclusive group with no waiting lists and no auditions for membership. Any young person, from ages 7 to 21, can be part of the chorus without auditioning. This means they always have a large chorus but there’s never any lack of discipline with this lovely group.
This play is a feminist re-telling of the classic story about the boy ‘who never grows up’. In this version of the story, we see some of the darker themes of the tale, in which Wendy flies to Neverland to find her ‘lost’ brother, Tom.
The set was 4 beds, laid with pillows and crochet blankets, with plants in the corners of the stage, for added interest. At the back of the stage were floor length muslin curtains, framing a skyline with clouds. The beds were made from cubes, which were moved around and repurposed as the show went on. The set was very well done.
Costumes were all rather as expected, with the Darling children in nightclothes and their parents in clothing appropriate for the period. Peter wore a long-sleeved floppy shirt, loose trousers and a tie around his waist. The shadows were all dressed in head to toe black. The pirates looked exactly as one would expect pirates to look, and Tinkerbell was dressed in green, as we’ve come to expect. The Lost Boys’ costumes were pieced together and looked really good. Some of them had a very ‘period’ look and others were more modern. I enjoyed the steampunk touches. The crocodile was dressed very elegantly in flares with a patterned velvet jacket and a VERY tall hat. I thought the costumes worked very well.
This is a very large group, performing in a studio theatre, and it is to be expected that they might occasionally bump into one another, but this never happened – apart from when it was meant to!
Set changes worked very well. At one point, the action continued behind the curtain, backlit, while the shadows accomplished the set change in complete darkness. Lighting worked really well and it was clear to see how much thought had gone into this. Likewise, sound was great. It was well synchronised at all times, like when the medicine was dropping and there were perfect ‘plopping’ sounds. And when Tink was small and the bell sound worked perfectly. Direction was brilliant. There was a scene where Mother and Father were on a split stage with Wendy and Peter. This worked so well, with the action moving between them, and especially when Wendy and Mrs Darling spoke together. The whole production team did a beautiful job.
On to the actors. Tom Wallace (John) has a great voice. He is a very good actor and carried the comedy beautifully. I thought he was very funny. Joseph Wade was great as Mr Darling. He was very animated when playing with the children, and I really enjoyed his appearance later in the play where he was rushed off his feet and discovering how hard Mother works. Heidi Wells was really good as Mrs Darling. She has a very strong voice, and I loved the emotion when she ‘lost’ Tom and, later, when she was angry at Father. Loaira Carvalhido-Gilbert was wonderful as Wendy. She was just perfect for the role. She was
completely believable as the ‘little mother’, feeling responsible for everybody. She has a lovely, clear voice. Kit Webster made a lovely Michael and Leo Dunigan was great as Tom.
I loved the part where one of the shadows stuck really close to Peter, holding a small red light (Tink) against his face all the time until he ‘caught’ her and put her in a jar. Peter and the shadow worked together beautifully here. Herbie Oldershaw was perfect for the role of Peter. His voice is great and he gave a really strong, confident performance. The shadows worked really well. I loved the way they moved in unison with one another and with Peter. It was easy to see how well rehearsed they all were.
Evie McCabe was brilliant as Tinkerbell. She’s no sweet Disney Tink. She was rude, sarcastic, and brash. She gave such a great performance. I loved the way she shouted at the audience when we felt sorry for her!
James Woodman made a great Captain Hook. He has a good voice. He tried so hard to be menacing but nobody was very scared of him. Sebastian Duber was a delight as Smee and I loved him and Hook together. He was energetic and delightfully camp. He has a very expressive face and is very good at comedy. Flynn Webb was also very good as Tootles.
I enjoyed the way the crocodile was presented in this version. Marceline Smith Alonso was great in the role. She never said a word throughout the play but had a really menacing quality. She simply strutted silently around the stage with long strides, throwing menacing looks at her prey. As Tiger Lily, Elieth Davis gave an excellent performance. She has a very strong voice. She really looked the part. Her accent was perfect and her movement was just great.
Pearl Gunn was wonderful as Martin. Her voice was great and she gave a very confident performance.
It’s not possible to mention every single member of this large cast by name but they were all brilliant. Every supporting performance was just great. This was a really long and very physical play and these young people must have been exhausted at the end of it. They all used the stage so well and I was very impressed by the way the energy never dropped. They’re all very good at physical comedy and show great stage presence.
It was a really enjoyable play. The young people worked so hard and gave fantastic performances. The entire team should be very proud of themselves – both cast and crew.
Thank you Stage 2, for an afternoon of chaotic fun. It was brilliant and I can’t wait for the next one!
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to bed. I’m so tired I can’t tell my aaaaaardvark from my elbow!
Reviewed by – Lesley L.
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