Wendy & Peter Pan

Ella Hickson’s family friendly but somewhat radical reworking of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan was a festive hit for the RSC over a decade ago, and has had several other productions beyond the original. It’s never made it to London though, or hadn’t until now, when director Jonathan Munby’s OG production leaps to the Barbican in a slot that misses Christmas by the best part of a month but does nick half-term. To be fair, it’s not technically a Christmas story in any formal sense, and the timing is worth it for an impressive cast that includes Toby Stephens as Captain Hook/Mr Darling (his first stage role in an age) and a rare return to the stage for Lolita Chakrabarti (now better known as a playwright) as Mrs Darling. Hickson’s story focusses on Wendy, as she heads off on a quest to find her lost brother Tom.