Peter Pan

If you are looking for a poignant study of childhood lost, you won't find it in Kensington Gardens. Directed by Ben Harrison, adapted by Tanya Ronder and performed in the spiritual home of JM Barrie's 1904 classic, this 'Peter Pan' - set in a 1,100-seater big top flanked by a delightful picnic area and laden with £2.7 million worth of special effects and 'War Horse'-style puppetry - is pitched unashamedly as event theatre.

Ciaran Kellgren turns in an enjoyable performance as the wild and mildly vindictive Peter. Jonathan Hyde's neurotic, Old Etonian Captain Hook is good fun and Abby Ford's gutsy and touching turn as Wendy gets the closest to extracting the anguish present in the original text. But the real star of the show is William Dudley's set, or more specifically, the convex screen which hosts the 'world's first fully 360-degree projected movie for live theatre'. There are some awesome flying scenes through a CGI Edwardian London, but visually, everything else is a bit underwhelming given its price tag. Add to that a story that has had its heart scooped out for the sake of expedience and what you're left with is a 'Peter Pan' that's big on budget but small on magic.