The Peter Pan Cometh

This show was exactly my cup of tea. From the stellar performances of the entire cast, the gripping dialogue and story structure, even the minimalist but effective set and costumes. As one not familiar with O'Neill's "The Ice Man Cometh" but a huge fan of Peter Pan, I still enjoyed this immensely. Full of emotional grit and dark humour, this is definitely not a child-appropriate adaptation.

I would absolutely see this again, as with anything else this fabulous company produces!

Amazing acting! If you are not familiar with either stories that are combined you may be lost.

This theatre troupe has greatly impressed me two Fringes in a row now. I may not be super familiar with the source material of The Ice Man Cometh, but that did not stop me from getting the jist of this darkly, twisted mash up with Peter Pan. I truly loved it but I love the absurd and unexpected! The cast are superb and really know how to command attention. Minimalist set design keeps you focused on the characters. This is as Fringy as it gets. I couldn't have been happier!

Incredible show. I just want to note that the costumes fit each character perfectly. Especially smee who seemed to have a pep in their blue pants

I see a lot of shows at fringe and rarely do I retrospectively like them more than I did during the ovation. This is one of those shows -- I have genuinely been thinking about it for days afterwards, and, the more I think about it the more I like it. Clevername theatre has earned their name with a show both darkly funny and genuinely devastating, a credit to the intelligent craftsmanship of the script.

I would recommend familiarizing yourself with Peter Pan and Iceman Cometh before buying your ticket -- you'll get more out of it.

Nonetheless, this show is a real contender for my pick of the fringe.

Everyone seems to love this show. I fell asleep in it.

Which I guess proves that not all shows are for all people.

I'm not sure if it's my lack of knowledge of the Ice Man Cometh or not, but I found Pan's never ending monologues in the same old timey sales man tone super difficult to stay engaged with despite him rolling around on wheelie shoes. It's my understanding that long monologues are part of the source material too so it was likely an intentional choice. I did find the performances of Smee and the Captain for the bits I was awake for to be strong and committed.

I wish I could tell you more about the play, but my lack of consciousness for most of the middle portion of the show shall not allow me to. The audience I was a part of were very boisterous in their applause at curtain though, so maybe take my experience with a grain of salt?

Dark, sometimes funny, but undoubtedly well done. This mashup has an acting troup truly committed too and masters of their craft. Its absurdity will draw you in and the actors depth of character will make you lose yourself in this twisted retelling of a childrens classic. Not for kids, but the whimsical way the troup portrays Peter "flying" about the stage is brilliant.

Suley Says Superb

Doors open to a purple-lit pirate bar, 3 figures slumped over wooden cable spools. As the play opens, the figures are revealed to be Hook, Tinkerbell and Smee, trapped in the Never. As if in a mixed instrument jazz trio, the script allows each to establish their timbre and tempo, their guilts and fears and dreams unfulfillled. Smee, somewhat worse for wear due to a dust habit, keeps referring to the return of Peter Pan and Mother Wendy. Hook and Tinkerbell don't think much of this. Until the chimes ring out and Peter arrives. Peter the no longer child, metamorhosed into a esponsible adult. And he's here to persuade his old friends to join him and achieve their dreams by giving them up. Yeah, no. So Peter becomes the new timbre and tempo, engaging the other three separately and together until his timbre is dominant and one by one the others drop away and Peter is free to explain why. As evocative and more troubling than Who's Afriad of Winnie The Pooh, The Peter Pan Cometh is a paen to the importance of dreams. Do you believe in fairies?

“The best way to lose a dream is to grow up.”

Forget about flying with happy thoughts; there are only existential crises here! Director Alexander Gerchak’s The Peter Pan Cometh is a comedy play closely similar to Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh. After the disastrous deaths of the crewmates of the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook, Smee, and Tinkerbell dream of a life outside of Neverland. A transformed and older Peter Pan swoops in to help free them of their troubles. However, Peter holds secrets that quietly haunt him.

While many in the audience were swept up in this production’s comedy, some moments felt too long and dull. Fortunately, these moments were forgettable. There definitely were some aspects of the play that stood out. The lighting design was beautifully detailed, reflecting the despondency and despair of the classic fairytale characters. Although the costumes were not very elaborate, they fitted each character extremely well and added to the believability of the performances by the actors. The lighting and costumes manifested a vivid environment that drew the audience further into Neverland. The cast also showed immense dedication, especially during high-energy scenes and emotional moments.

Thomas Buan plays the miserable and infamous Captain Hook. With a gritty accent and tottering gait, Buan’s performance as the cacophonous pirate was unforgettable. Joined by Captain Hook were the pixie dust-addicted Smee (Alec Berchem) and tragically depressed Tinkerbell (Isabelle Hopewell). This glum and gloomy trio was thoroughly captivating as they flounced around the room, and their energy set the stage for Nick Hill’s equally mesmerizing performance. Hill’s portrayal of Peter Pan was a true display of masterful characterization. Whether skating around the stage with roller shoes, snorting insane amounts of pixie dust, or flopping like a fish on the floor, this cast kept the crowd laughing.

I like how this theatre company takes their fusion work seriously. This could’ve been weird and silly but it melded the two works really well. However, I don’t think an audience that’s unfamiliar with the original play would necessarily “get it”, and it got a bit long at times. I hope this theatre group can come back with a fully original work in the future, because their scripts are great and the performances are always phenomenal.

"It seems to be the particular, and way-off-centre, genius of Minnesota’s Clevername Theatre to re-imagine dark and weighty American theatre hits with characters from childhood classics...." Check out the full 12thnight REVIEW!

Deliciously dark and absurd. Peter Pan like you’ve never seen it before.

This post Peter Pan story was full of dark hectic humor. The acting was amazing, Smee and Peter Pan were superb. The story line however was sometimes dragging and repetitive, I did enjoy it. I think reading the novel Peter Pan may have filled in some holes in the story for me (the Disney version is not sufficient)

I was ecstatic that this troupe returned this year with a new production. The innovative writing and mash up of the 2 literary pieces is as amazing as their production last year, as are the performances themselves. I’m obsessed with Martin McDonagh and this is right in that messed up, deeply dark category of entertainment. You need not be familiar with The Ice Man Cometh but you do need to not be faint of heart or spirit. Leave the kids at home and treat yourself to this journey into Never.

The absolute madlads have done it again.

Last year clevernametheatre put on "Who's Afraid of Winnie the Pooh?", a show that I initially dismissed as likely being trite, hokey and dumb.

But I got a free ticket, so I went. After the show I tracked down the artists, and paid them. It was that good. I was blown away. It was both funny, smart, emotional and completely held my attention for every second.

So Peter Pan Cometh has a lot to live up to and big shoes to fill, and it absolutely does.

They took a dense, long piece of classic theatre, The Iceman Cometh, and set of children's characters in Peter Pan and then gave an absolute 110% performance. And they delivered.

I breathed in at the start of the show, and by the time I exhaled, an hour had passed and we were at the end. I was mesmerized.

Just go to this show. Even if the premise doesn't appeal to you, even if you're unfamiliar with the source material, this is just one to experience.