The poster should give you a hint: This isn’t a Disney interpretation of the J.M. Barrie boy who never grows up. This Wendy isn’t plucky and she might be a bit slutty. Our Peter Pan isn’t going to impress you with his flying skills and his Tinkerbell isn’t small or spritely. Yet this is the best bunch for loads of laugh. Go early to fully enjoy all the giggles at the Ahmanson.

The immersive bits of theater were already afoot when I arrived almost an hour early. Members of the Cornley Youth Theatre Company were out and about. Their Peter Pan (Greg Tannahill as Jonathan Harris)  and Tinker Bell (Nancy Zamit as Annie Twilloil) are soaking up their audience adulation pre-performance.  Inside, audience members might be asked to help the men who were working on some technical problems.  You’ll want to read the double program–the one by the Conley Youth Theatre and other other by the Mischief Production.  From the Conley Youth Theatre program notes, you’ll learn of the sad fate of one cast member who had an untimely demise due to a clock.

You probably know the story of Peter Pan, but you don’t know the story of this company and its many characters are they attempt to overcome their own problems (stage fright), technical difficulties and even last-minute cast changes to perform the 1904 J.M. Barrie Play, “Peter and Wendy.”  The Conley company director, Chris Bean (Henry Shields) and his co- (or assistant) director Robert Grove (Henry Lewis) have a lot to contend with, including their own egos.

Robert also plays Nana the Dog as well as pirate Starkey while Chris plays the father of the Darling family, George, as well as Captain Hook. Do you think there’s a message in the father also being the heavy or is it just that the director finds villainy the best excuse for a good costume and chewing up the scenery? Isn’t that always the question with small companies with directors who have massive egos?

As someone who is reliving her second and better childhood, I have a special affection for the boy who never grew up. I’ve watched Mary Martin’s TV performance as Peter Pan and seen Cathy Rigby perform live. This version isn’t about great singing or great athleticism.  The original music is by Richard Baker and Rob Falconer (and not the 1954 Moose Charlap, Jule Styne, Carolyn Leigh, Betty Corden and Adolph Green musical that Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby performed). This is about the pure joy of slapstick and mischievous misadventures. I laughed so hard, I cried and by intermission I was coughing so bring cough drops. Since we came with our Alligator Loki, we were a bit shook at first, but in the end, our alligator was quite pleased with the outcome. I was dressed as Tiger Lily and I recommend you dress up for those photo ops.

The surprises and laughs continue to the very end. The timing is impeccable. Guest actors will be assuming the role of the narrator, Francis Beaumont and even that person doesn’t quite escape the madness. Emmy Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford was performing as Beaumont opening night and and some of the lines were made just for him.  As this a play about a play and the lives of actors, there was some timely messages as well. But even that didn’t mess with director Adam Meggido’s controlled mayhem.

If you need a good laugh, and don’t mind some tweaking or even warping of original classic material, this play may be just the ticket. This

director has everything under control. Everyone’s timing is spot on. If you saw their original production, “The Play Goes Wrong,” which had some wonderful set incidents, this production has a more elaborate set (scenic design by Simon Scullion), one that revolves to give us different locations. Roberto Surace’s costumes are both lovely and laughable and the Annie Twilloil’s (Nancy Zamit) Mary Darling and servant Lisa require some impressive quick changes.

I left thinking of the “Cornley Re-Writing Innitiative” and how to avoid too many spoilers.

“Peter Pan Goes Wrong” was written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of the Mischief Theatre company and first performed at the Pleasance Theatre in London on 10 December 2013. The play hit the West end in 2015 at the start of the Christmas season and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. The play had a UK tour 2019-2020, but didn’t make its North American premiere until 8 September 2022 in Alberta, Canada with an all Canadian cast.

The show came to the US just this year, opening at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 19 April 2023 for a limited run which included Neil Patrick Harris. Henry Shields (Chris Bean the director and also the actor who plays Mr. Darling and Captain Hook), Henry Lewis (Robert Grove who is the assistant director, the dog Nana, Starkey and the Shadow), Charlie Russell (Sandra Wilkinson who plays Wendy), Jonathan Sayer (Dennis Tyde who plays John Darling and Smee), Nancy Zamit (Annie Twilloil who plays Liza, Mrs. Darling, Tinker Bell and Curly)  and Greg Tannahill (Jonathan Harris who is Peter Pan) were part of the original London and Broadway cast.

The Ahmanson cast is a mix of the original London and Broadway cast. Chris Leask (Trevor who is the head technician) and Cavendish (Max Bennett who plays Michael Darling and the Crocodile) were part of the original Broadway cast. Leask, Shields, Lewis, Russell, Sayer, Zamit,  and Tannahill who were both part of the original Pleasance Theatre cast and the Broadway cast all appear at that Ahmanson.

“Peter Pan Goes Wrong” is a fun-tastic must-see that is guaranteed to brighten up your day with its slapstick and mildly adult humor. The play continues at the Center Theatre Group until 10 September 2023. Bradley Whitford is scheduled to be the narrator until 27 August. From 30 August until 10 September, Daniel Dae Kim will step into the roll of the Narrator of “Peter Pan,” Francis Beaumont of the Cornley Drama Society. For tickets or more information, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org.