Peter Pan NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (116)
See it if you're interested in fresh takes on classics, performed by an exceptionally talented cast, and you're forgiving of messing with the text.
Don't see it if you're not interested in the "grown-up" subtext of Peter Pan being made explicit, or if you don't like messing with classic plays.
See it if If you can enjoy being confused/amused and intellectually lambasted on the very timely subject of gender issues, you'll be rewarded here.
Don't see it if If it totally drives you crazy to not quite know what's going on in a play, you better leave this one alone. If you're adventurous, try it.
See it if you enjoy Bedlam's unorthodox presentation of conventional works. This may be their least cohesive show, but there's still plenty to enjoy.
Don't see it if you expect a traditional staging of the Peter Pan story or you're a JM Barrie purist. [This is an anarchistic, subversive take on the play.]
See it if Want to see an interesting interpretation of Peter Pan. Great use of small cast
Don't see it if You don’t like non traditional tellings of Peter Pan.
See it if You are a Bedlam fan. It has its moments.
Don't see it if You have children in tow. It’s not a children’s story.
See it if you enjoy the challenge of seeing a familiar piece reinterpreted by imaginative actors.
Don't see it if you are expecting anything traditional - no flying, no glitter, A lot of the changes do not seem to have theatrical purpose.
See it if you like inventive theatrical bits, even when extraneous to a production's central thrust -- or is the series of bits the main point here?
Don't see it if you love the original too much to see it tinkered with. Read more
See it if You are a fan of Bedlam (the theater company) and don't care what they do. I liked the dog.
Don't see it if You want scenery with your theater. You're allergic to whimsy and prefer your tinker bell to be a non-smoker. Read more
Critic Reviews (18)
“The cerebral production is humorous and self-aware, occasionally crashing through the fourth wall in most unexpected ways...While the production is problematic in lacking a clear message and storyline, it is overlong in the telling, but worth seeing, nonetheless, for the performances alone...While 'Peter Pan' may not be on par with their prior works, it still offers staggeringly original and creative elements. This one might be better for true theater aficionados.”
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“It is hard to reconcile the company’s former achievements with this work’s rather modest merits...You’ll have a hell of a hard time telling who is who...Again and again our minds are led out of the dramatic continuum...This constant readjustment of perspective interferes with, and practically annihilates, the emotional payoff...By insisting we approach the story with our minds rather than our hearts, Mr. Tucker has short-changed the play, and us, of the magic of the theater.”
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"It’s a mashup of psychoanalytic proportions with a childlike view of fantasy, storytelling, and imagination. Unfortunately Bedlam and Eric Tucker fail on a number of levels to make a cohesive story and an intellectual argument come together...The cast is fully game though...'Peter Pan' has some charm and frantic play in store that keeps a smile on the face for the most part, but in reality, this Peter is confusing and just doesn’t fly up high enough to emotionally or intellectually engage."
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"The troupe members do cling to Barrie’s basic storyline like children instructed not to do otherwise, but they also take all sorts of liberties as they go about their travesty...So thoroughly witless that it’s a waste of both the readers’ and my time to set down the details...This reviewer won’t go so far as to say the Bedlam 'Peter Pan' is the worst production of 2017, but it’s certainly in the bottom three."
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“Because the irreverent troop has put dialogue and scenes in a grab bag and drawn them higgledy-piggledy, events are played in unrecognizable sequence…Whether you enjoy this depends on your threshold for wacky. Some of it is amusing, some is wildly imaginative, much is clunky...Actors have focus and energy, but don’t seem to be enjoying themselves…There’s a reason this tale has stood the test of time, but creatives keep thinking they know better."
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“The play is not adapted here so much as redacted, with most of its childish charm stripped out, as well as all its flying sequences...Neither is this a family-friendly rendition of the play, but rather a stark, deconstructed interpretation that vaguely explores the creepier side of maternal affection...Mostly a joyless event, Bedlam’s production sporadically brightens whenever Susannah Millonzi pops up in a witty depiction of Tinker Bell.”
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“The ideas are many, all under-developed and over-used. A voice-over narrator offers some commentary, but this conceit leads nowhere...The play is chopped up and rearranged willy nilly, with certain passages repeated over and over again in a desperate attempt to squeeze some new meaning out of them...They bat the ideas around almost in boredom, not even realizing that their prey is already dead...Here they flop, spectacularly...Bedlam will surely fly again.”
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“Portions of the dialogue are told and retold in this ensemble-created script, with sequences often repeated to great effect…The stalwart team of six performers handles many roles and covers rocky terrain — from broad comedy needed for cartoon adults to a delicate touch for childhood fears…Musing on Barrie’s original work in this specific, spare aesthetic, with layers of literary jokes and references to past adaptations, requires prior knowledge of the original."
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