Peter Pan Goes Wrong

Finally! After the soaps have all taken their turn to depress us, several 'specials' have been anything but, and ITV have rammed a Harry Potter season down our necks, it's great that the BBC have brought us this brilliant bit of fun entertainment.

This was a joy from start to finish, and if anything meets the 'perfect family viewing' title it's this. It was good old fashioned slapstick entertainment, that brilliantly spoofed not only Peter Pan but life in Am-Dram groups in general.

If only there was more programmes like this on telly across the year. I certainly would rank this up there with 'Ethel and Ernest' as the best things that have been on over Christmas.

As I write this, the Mischief Theatre is on Broadway at the Barrymore Theater with this burlesque of J. M. Barrie's show. If, however, you don't have the $85 dollars, or can't get to Broadway, you can look at this BBC production from 2016.

There are several obvious ways for this show to go wrong; the flying harnesses are the obvious things. However, the scheduled problems with this production don't end with that particular gag -- or start with them either. There are problems backstage as well as on, performers get stuck in embarrassing poses, there are audience members heckling, players getting angry, narrator David Suchet gets trapped in the chaos, and even a story that goes on about the cast, a bunch of farceurs who will keep you laughing throughout.

A great depiction of an amateur production of Peter Pan where everything that can go wrong goes wrong. It is just a riot and an incredibly funny depiction of everyday people wanting to have a taste of the glitz and glamour of the theater stage with hilarious results.

I love and saw all three major plays by the Mischief Theatre several times. The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Comedy About the Bank Robbery and I love all of them. Saw all three with the original cast. Every time I'm in London I go and see one or more of their plays, which is what I plan to do this January, too (I'll go and see Petert Pan Goes Wrong). I was pleasantly surprised to see that BBC planned to show it on New Year's Eve and told all my friends. The TV version was almost all there, they obviously shortened it a bit. I especially missed the part in which the mother tries to turn off the lamps in the children's room, but also enjoyed the video additions which you don't see in the theatre (the joke on the lake and later going through the various BBC studios etc.) If this becomes available somewhere online, definitely watch it. It's hilarious.

We were lucky enough to see 'Comedy about a Bank Robbery' live having seen 'Peter Pan goes wrong' on the beeb. Just so clever and funny; rewatching it this Christmas really helped lift our family and I cannot wait to see them in the theatre again once all this misery is done.