Peter Pan in July may seem like evidence that Christmas comes earlier every year. But in presenting the story as its annual promenade, the Dukes theatre returns JM Barrie's tale to its original inspiration as an adventure told to delight children in a park.
"What better place could there be to tell this tale than right here in the open air?" declares David Acton, who plays both JM Barrie and his devilish alter ego, Captain Hook. "Somewhere with a roof," you might reply – as on the evening I attended, the rain was sheeting down.
The story begins with Peter breaking into the Darlings' nursery in search of lost property, though on this particular occasion, he has more chance of finding his reflection than his shadow.
Some of the subtleties of Amy Leach's production are lost in the deluge. But it is a fine idea to have Gregor Henderson-Begg's feral Peter and his band dressed as a khaki-clad officers' training corps: a telling reminder that George Llewelyn Davies (the model for John Darling) lost his life in the trenches of Ypres among a tragic generation of genuine lost boys.
You have to admire the grit of the actors for ploughing on despite the conditions, and the loyal determination of the audience for following them. Though there are some compromises (the children learn to "fly" on a couple of soggy trampolines), the landscape of Williamson Park is a drama in itself – when did you last see the pirate battle staged aboard real boats? And Peter gives his address ("second to the right and straight on till morning") while airily indicating the vista across Morecambe Bay. That's what you call a real Peter Panorama.
