THOUGHT the dastardly Captain Hook had met his watery fate at the end of Peter Pan’s adventures? … think again. Perhaps unsurprisingly he found a way to stay alive in the water at the end of the plank he was forced to walk, and, after desolate years of fury and plotting, HE’S BACK!
And when you’re a narcissist who bears grudges forever, where would he be but chasing that pesky Pan. As a resident of Neverland, of course he’s no older, while Wendy and the rest of the Darlings have aged in the usual way.
Wendy has had a daughter who had a daughter who had a daughter who has a daughter called Emily. Wendy is now a spry 108-year-old. Emily is a truculent, frustrated, mobile phone-wielding teenager, who very certainly does NOT believe in fairies. But then this is pantomime, and Bath’s 2025/26 show, written by the irrepressible145 Jon Monie, brings J M Barrie’s immortal tale into the 21st century.
The adventure is played out on brilliantly-coloured and exciting sets designed 
by Jon Harris and Jason Bishop, and Peter Pan fans will be delighted that not only the ever-youthful Peter (Marcus J Foreman) and the dashing, spectacularly-attired Hook, in the person of Tristan Gemmill, have made it through, but Tinkerbell (Holly Atterton) is on hand to save the day. Of course she is no older, but she isn’t walking so well these days, so relies on roller skating skills to outwit the baddies.
The rolling, tumbling, shanty-singing Nitwits can’t quite decide if they are good or bad, and there’s a similar conundrum for Smee, played by Bath panto legend Jon Monie. They are helped in their quest to bring Hook bang to rights by the inventive all-singing, all-dancing Ethel Mermaid (the loveable Sarah Jane Buckley, who is also Emily’s worried mum). Traditionally, local dance schools take part in the annual pantomime, and this year the Dorothy Colbourne School of Dance has chosen 16 of the younger students to join the company, and the show gives them all a chance not only to flit about but to really take part throughout the story. They are delightfully convincing as the kidnapped Babybells.
The story is a very clever sequel to the much-loved original, with some hilarious “new” moments based on the old favourite routines. It’s action all the way, and if the narrative is sometimes a bit thin, there is never a moment when there is not something on stage to catch and keep your attention.
It’s a spectacular show with loveable characters, a super-hissable villain, colour, songs, dances and nothing that goes on so long that today’s often less than attentive children lose concentration. It’s on until 11th January, and is certainly a show for all the family.
GP-W