The Guardian 27 November 2024

I seen regular productions of Peter Pan that treat the death of Tinker Bell more casually than it is handled here by writer, director and star Johnny McKnight. Yes, the fairy’s final moments are over-the-top – not a twitch of a limb unmilked – but it is with some sense of jeopardy that the audience is called upon to bring her back to life. We are delighted to succeed.

What I have not seen is a version of JM Barrie’s fantasy that upturns the story quite so cavalierly as this one. Far from the ethereal wisp of light that so enchants Wendy, this fairy is played by McKnight himself as a galumphing dame that is waspish, flirtatious and bold. [READ MORE]

By Mark Fisher

MARK FISHER is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre in Scotland since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a frequent contributor to the Scotsman and other publications. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. He is also the editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book (both Mark Fisher Ltd).