Peter Pan Goes Wrong at HCT

Last night I had my first theatre trip of 2026 to see Peter Pan Goes Wrong at HCT. I definitely picked a good show to start the year with because it is absolutely hilarious! The Cornley Drama Society is back and, this time, Chris (Roger Dunbar) is directing the family classic Peter Pan with a significantly larger budget due to a generous donation. He is also playing Mr. Darling and Captain Hook with Robert (Taylor Seth Hall) as Nana, the Shadow, and a Pirate, Max (Doug Wadley) as Michael Darling and the Crocodile, Sandra (Corinne Adair) as Wendy Darling, Dennis (Ethan Freestone) as John Darling, Annie (Jillian Joy) as Mrs. Darling, Liza the Maid, and Tinkerbell, Jonathan (Davey Morrison) as Peter Pan, Lucy (Ali Bennett) as the Lost Boy Tootles, and Francis (Alex B. King) as the Narrator. Trevor (Langi Tuifua) is back as a Stagehand along with Gill (Chad Brown). Mayhem ensues because Chris gets flustered whenever Captain Hook is booed by the audience, Sandra and Jonathan are dating but Max (who was only cast because his uncle made the large donation) has a crush on her and wants to play Peter Pan so he can kiss her, Annie must play two characters in the same scene and doesn't have enough time to change costumes, Dennis can't remember his lines so he has them read to him through large headphones that beep when used, Lucy suffers from stage fright and must be forced on stage, and Trevor must go on as Peter Pan (with script in hand) when Jonathan is injured in a flying mishap. However, after everyone else is incapacitated, it is up to Lucy to finish the show! The entire cast is fantastic and they are brilliant with the physical comedy, especially when Peter Pan spins upside down while flying, when Wendy, John, and Michael have to pretend to fly, when the Shadow's costume catches fire and Gill has to extinguish it, when Nana gets stuck in the doggy door, when Tinkerbell is electrocuted by her light-up costume (which requires an extension cord), when Lucy is injured by a falling tree, and when the Narrator's chair malfunctions. My favorite performances were from Wadley because his facial expressions are so fun to watch, especially when Max's crush on Sandra is accidentally revealed by a hot mic backstage, and from Freestone because his monotone delivery is a hoot when he repeats all of the stage directions (and other miscellaneous comments said by his prompter backstage) along with his lines. The set is so good because it falls apart so spectacularly, most notably the bunk beds that collapse while the children are in them, the pirate ship that rocks back and forth, and the turntable that spins out of control with the cast holding on for dear life! I don't think I stopped laughing all night and I can't think of a better show to see to get rid of the winter blues (go here for tickets). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through May 9.

Note:  I would also highly recommend Frozen which continues on the Young Living Centre Stage through February 14 (go here for tickets).