"Peter Pan' at the Arden

Douglas Irvine is described in the program notes as someone who "loves telling stories in new and exciting ways." His adaptation of Peter Pan, currently at the Arden, struck me as new and confusing. Irvine has apparently heard this story so often that he sees no need to dramatize the contrast between Edwardian London and the mythical Neverland. And without that conflict, the story loses its point.

J.M. Barrie's classic hero wants "to be a boy forever and have fun." But Irvine's Peter Pan, played with more energy than empathy by Chris Bresky, doesn't seem to be having all that much fun. He runs and jumps a lot, climbs up and down poles, and wages a couple of battles with Captain Hook. He doesn't sing or dance; he doesn't even fly (except when the lights are out and we can't see him). Why Wendy Darling (Jacqueline Real) would give up a comfy home in London to follow this dude to Neverland is beyond me.

Tom Gleeson's mechanistic set dispenses with scenery and greenery; it's all engines, gadgets, ropes and pulleys, never mind if you're in the pirates' cove or the Lost Boys' lair. There's a mechanical feel to the six-person cast as well, which reinforces its ranks by enlisting robotic puppets to portray the Lost Boys. Three of the six actors play multiple roles, so it's not always easy to remember who's who.

More music might have enhanced the drama too; the multitalented Frank X contributes a background lute in the opening scene before assuming the role of Hook, where his considerable stage presence is largely wasted. Indeed, in Irvine's version the most dramatic moments— such as Cook's demise at the hands of the crocodile— occur when the lights are out.

To be sure, the small kids in the Arden audience responded affirmatively when asked, "Do you believe in fairies?" And my six-year-old granddaughter got into the spirit sufficiently that she demanded to be flown through our house when we got home afterward. I turned the lights out and told her to use her imagination, but she would have none of it. Apparently she cut the Arden more slack than she gave me.