Peter and Wendy

Astonishing ... Karen Kandel, right, plays every character in Peter and Wendy.

Photograph: Murdo Macleod

The closing scene is the clincher. Sure, Karen Kandel's performance has
been astonishing – although billed simply as "narrator", she plays every
single character in this adaptation of JM Barrie's story. And yes, we've
been beguiled by the craft of the puppeteers, and enchanted by the lilting
Scottish folk melodies by the late Johnny Cunningham, played by a six-
piece band plus a sound effects specialist.

But it is not until the end, when Kandel ushers us into the darker waters of
Peter and Wendy – the novel Barrie wrote seven years after his Peter Pan
hit the stage –that we feel the full emotive power of this awfully big adven-
ture. Never have I seen a production that engages so stirringly with the

author's unsettling vision of growing up. With all those tales of pirates,

crocodiles and Indian squaws behind us – whisked away as quickly as

toys tidied into a trunk – we are left with the sorry realisation that time

passes, childhood fades and, however much we may yearn as adults to

live purely in the moment once again, the possibility is beyond us.

That the final minutes are so affecting is testament to the scrupulous work
of New York's Mabou Mines company, under the direction of Lee Breuer.

So rich in detail is this production that it would repay repeat viewings, allow-
ing you to focus not only on the half-size puppets but also on the careful

choreography of the eight puppeteers;you could observe in detail how

Kandel deflects attention from herself despite performing all the dialogue,

and appreciate the effortless fluidity of the stagecraft. On Julie Archer's all-
white set, a blanket becomes a boat, an ironing board

and a gang-plank, all with the most imperceptible of changes.

So beguiling is the puppetry, so warmhearted are the performances that

you readily accept Kandel's faux Scottish accents and the urchin-like

cuteness of the Peter Pan doll. By giving a central place to the narrative,

Liza Lorwin's adaptation reminds us that we, like the Lost Boys, are suckers

for the power of "once upon a time". Kandel's vocal control is magnificent,

as is her emotional engagement with Barrie's heart-breaking story.

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