Present: Nic, Helen, Kate
Date: April 25, 2013
With Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw starring, we had high expectations and we weren't disappointed. Some initial reviews were shaky. Yes, it was a bit of a slow grower but, once it warmed it up, it grew and grew. It was a treat to see two such accomplished actors at work. Their interactions were natural, their conversation real - sometimes interrupting or speaking over each other. They both could represent pain and joy vividly, even in their recollections. There was a sense that Alice loved being inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, whilst for Peter, being forever Peter Pan seemed to have brought nothing but heartache - I don't know how true that is. Unfamiliar with the life of Peter Llewellyn Davies, Ben Whishaw reduced me to tears (both inside the theatre and out, when Kate asked what had made me cry) as he relived his time in the trenches and we learned how his story ends. And throughout there was a sense of discomfort from what we know of the ambiguous relationships both of the writers - Carroll and Barrie - had with their young inspirations "Alice" and "Peter".
A brilliant and bargain night's theatre!
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