Theater: “Wendy and Peter Pan”, a high-energy but uneven adaptation

Growing up has never seemed so scary as it does in this dark and cynical version of “Wendy and Peter Pan.” Indeed, the songs and the happy endings are far removed from this very faithful adaptation of James Matthew Barrie’s Victorian work, “Peter and Wendy”, performed for the first time in London in 1904. As there are more a century, Wendy is the protagonist of the play.

Well versed in the exercise of adaptation after his version of “Captain Fracasse” in 2023, director Jean-Christophe Hembert took the risky bet of building a cast composed entirely of adults.

Tunes from “The Addams Family”

It all starts with a mise en abyme. The actors enter the stage one after the other, announcing a name and the role they will play throughout the play (some actors will wear several hats) before posing for a period photo. A portrait which, under the pale light of the flash, prepares the viewer to experience a “Peter Pan” much closer to “The Addams Family” than to the Disney cartoon of the 50s.

The tone is set: M^r and M^rs Darling, played by Bruno Bayeux and Agnès Ramy, are austere and unloving parents, hard on their two children, Wendy (Judith Henry, who we would like to see more often) and John (Loïc Varraut), dreamers and determined to never grow up. Because the enemy of childhood is time, illustrated here through a broken clock placed on the wall of the young girl’s bedroom, and which in moments of tension accelerates or slows down the rhythm of its hands.

“At 2 years old, all children know it. Two years is the beginning of the end.” Condemned to grow old, Wendy then evokes the only boy who will never grow up: Peter Pan of course (Karl Eberhard), who will not fail to visit her that night, and take her with his brother to the land of never, accompanied by his loyal and very wanton Tinker Bell.

This very successful first part demonstrates a very judicious and impressive use of the settings which, according to the action, twirl to offer a dreamlike and dreamy scene in the land of never.

A messy second act

Then things get tough. Given the numerous destinations that the protagonists will have to take, it is clear that we get a little lost. The different roles taken by the actors, certainly very brilliant in their performances, reinforce this confusion. We often move quickly from one scene to another, without knowing how or when this or that character entered the dance.

But through the jungle, the mermaids’ lagoon, the pirate ship, and the Indian territory, the piece takes the form of an uninterrupted ball of movements, sounds and lights, in an explosion of the senses. Startles and immersions guaranteed.

This supercharged but somewhat messy form is saved by a phenomenal Captain Hook, as charismatic as he is evil, cowardly as well as bloodthirsty. A performance masterfully conducted by Bruno Bayeux and which literally bursts the stage. Special mention also to Stéphane Bernard and Jacques Chambon, in turn pirates, lost children and Indians.

Too many ambitions?

Thanks to an intelligent staging which breaks the fourth wall here and there, to the great pleasure of the children in the audience, we nevertheless quickly come to tire of the selfish Peter Pan and the vulgar Tinker Bell created by Jean-Christophe Hembert.

Ultimately very cruel, amnesiac and self-effacing, this Peter Pan never has fun. He becomes the only truly mature character in the adaptation, which is a shame.

By wanting to show everything without really explaining it, the whole thing is in trouble. We think in particular of the white bird and the crocodile, two formidable opportunities which arrive like a hair in the soup. The main problem with the play then perhaps comes from the fact that the production had its eyes bigger than its stomach.

Andrea Di Guardo has been a journalist at the Tribune de Genève since March 2024. Attached to the cultural section, he is also interested in local and international subjects. He holds a Master’s degree in journalism and communication and a Bachelor’s degree in political science.More info

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