| What: Peter Pan– by A Musical Fantasy by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer Where: Canal Walk Shopping Mall in the Centre Court When: June 27 to July19, 2026 Performance times: Three shows daily at 11am, 12:30pm and 2pm. Closed Mondays. Tickets: From R130. Family packages available Running Time: 60 minutes Recommended age: From age 2 and up Bookings: Webtickets Link: bit.ly/4dZVQTG Or buy at the box office on site – depending on availability Directors: Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer Cast: Jeremy Richard (Mr Darling and Captain Hook), Killian Blerk (Peter Pan), Rachael Saunders (Wendy Darling), Kaira Naidoo (Tinker Bell/Mermaid), Evan Marinakos (Pirate Smee), Tim Truran (John Darling), Jade Tayla (Mrs Darling/Tiger Lily/Mermaid), Anzio September (Nana/Panther), Asanda Mngadi (Jootles a Lost Boy/Crocodile), Andi Colombo (Michael Darling) and Jonan Mouton (Slightly A Lost Boy) |
Peter Pan – A Musical Fantasy – by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer – based on the play by JM Barri is on June 27 to July 19, 2026 at Canal Walk Theatre. It is wistful, enigmatic and quirky, with terrific performances, stunning costumes, sets and puppets, enchanting songs and lyrics. It is a fascinating Peter Pan – an intriguing evocation of the boy who never grows up. I loved being immersed in the magic of imagination and fantasy. I loved the huge animal puppets – Nanna the Nursery Dog/Au Pair and the crocodile. Another excellent theatre production by Abrahamse and Meyer.
Peter Pan is Abrahamse and Meyer’s 24th production at Canal Walk. It would have been more but the Covid Pandemic interrupted the flow. Their productions are billed as Canal Walk “Theatre” – not as “Children’s Theatre”. Considerable planning and work goes into creating these annual winter productions– with impeccable attention to detail and production values – with gorgeous costumes, sets, props, puppets – and original book, songs and lyrics. Abrahamse and Meyer do it all. For insights into the conceptual arc of the design, see interview with Meyer on TheCapeRobyn. https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-creating-peter-pan-a-musical-fantasy-based-on-the-play-by-jm-barrie/
For this Peter Pan, Abrahamse and Meyer looked closely at the play that Barrie wrote – which predated the novel. The play, Peter Pan/The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, debuted in London, December 27, 1906 at the Duke of York’s Theatre. In 1911, Barrie adapted his script for the play into the book, Peter and Wendy. So not only is Abrahamse and Meyer’s Peter heightened in its drama and theatricality, but aspects of their play (Meyer calls it a play) are direct nods to scenes and images in the play. Meyer: “Our job in adapting it was to take the play – and obviously condense it- and then find moments where music and lyrics and songs and dance could live within what Barrie had already written so sometimes a line of dialogue by Barrie might inspire a song like the story Peter tells us how he goes to the Neverland and starts living with the fairies in Kensington Garden. That is taken directly from the dialogue of what Barrie wrote and then we transformed and shaped it into a song and set it to music. It was a wonderful journey through this man’s incredible imagination.”
Conceptually, they were inspired by the Edwardian Age – the definitive age of illustration for children’s books – referred to as the Golden Age of Illustration (1901–1910). They wanted to conjure up a sense that it looks like “an illustration out of a book”. It is a “homage” to that time. This Peter Pan is whimsical and even in the parts of the story with the Pirates, this hand drawn quality softens the menace, and heightens that this a fantasy and not reality. Meyer: “I did the various backdrops as illustrations – using the mediums that an illustrator would use. Then they were scanned in high res and then printed on fabric, gauze or on solid fabric to cover the various scenic pieces. Everything looks like it has been drawn and painted in that style of Edwardian children’s books.
The costumes are underpinned by Meyer’s genius in conjuring up metaphor and symbolism through a signature use of colours in the palettes for protagonists. For instance, Mr and Mrs Darling are in whites and greys. In the adult world, they have already lost their colour. And this they have passed onto their children who are in their nightclothes – in muted tones– Edwardian – but riffing off a contemporary cuddly aesthetic of sleepwear one might buy at Woollies, Mr Price or Pick n Pay. That is my interpretation – not a comment by Meyer. I loved the warm and cuddly detail of the children, versus the shimmer and colour of Peter and Tinkerbell. The pirates are the baddies and they are in black but they twinkle and sparkle, which again undercuts the menace. The detail is extraordinary – everything from the slippers to the jammies so tactile and layered. See interview for more.
The flying of Peter is a wow and this has been achieved in a pop-up theatre in a shopping mall – with consideration not only for the spectacle but for safety. Killian Blerk as Peter Pan is a wonderful dancer and he does some impressive cirque tumbles as he flies. Cliff-hanger tension as he hovers over Captain Hook – played by Jeremy Richard who also plays Mr Darling. Richard brings gravitas and charisma to Hook, blunting his menace. Anzio September performs as Nana, the playful and feisty Nana – the au-pair dog. He also plays Panther. September performed as Aladdin in Aladdin last year for Canal Walk Theatre. It is wonderful to see Andi Colombo in family theatre as the delightful Michael. Evan Marinakos as Pirate Smee is a lot of fun even though he is a baddie, Rachael Saunders as Wendy, Kaira Naidoo Tinker Bell are charming and a shout-out to the ensemble – Tim Truran, Jade Tayla, Andi Colombo, Anzio September, Asanda Mngadi and Jonan Mouton.
I look forward the milestone Canal Walk Theatre production for 2027 – the 25th production by Abrahamse and Meyer. Bravo to Canal Walk for investing in quality family theatre and also for its support of Children’s charities. Part of proceeds from Peter Pan are going to the designated charity, Reach for a Dream, Reaching for a dream is emblematic of the ethos of Peter Pan – the dream of never growing up and staying young and able to fly to fantasy places and have a fluffy dog as an au pair. Circling back to wistful – this comes across profoundly in this beautiful production – a playful wistfulness.
❇ Peter Pan– A Musical Fantasy– by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer is on at Canal Walk Theatre June 27 to July19, 2026. Pic: Fiona Macpherson. Supplied. Interview link: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/interview-creating-peter-pan-a-musical-fantasy-based-on-the-play-by-jm-barrie/
