Lost Boy Finborough Theatre

One might say that the tiny Finborough’s fame exceeds its seating capacity like no other London venue, and at the very start of the First World War’s centenary (1914-2014) it once again proves to be  a place to look out for. Phil Willmott writes, composes and directs Lost Boy, a musical journey documenting what might have happened if Peter Pan and the other lost boys had to face the horrors of war. Three musicians and a large number of singing actors (without microphones) convincingly turn the West London stage into a dreamscape for about two hours.

We meet Captain George Llewellyn Davies (Steven Butler) amidst the troubles of an impossible battle. When he falls asleep, he tumbles into Pan’s fantasy world as the mischievous hero himself, only to find that everyone else has grown up – his friends now have wives and work as lawyers; Tinker Bell (Joanna Woodward) is a call girl. He is taught how to be an adult and, in a clever plot twist, circumstances force him to lead the boys to war, where he is expected to prove his maturity. Parallels between the real and the fictional, and also between the then and the now, start to emerge rapidly and it is the task of the audience to catch them. Lost Boy is exciting from beginning to end, and this is mainly thanks to the highly inventive storyline that jumps from high to low quickly, and effortlessly weaves in a wide variety of theatrical forms (including cabaret, pantomime and circus). I cannot omit saying how intricately the medium is used not only to tell a story of magic, but how it also serves as an alternative way of life, an alternative to war in its exuberance and inherent happiness.

On a confined stage like the Finborough’s, the action really jumps right at the viewer and in the case of a musical, large and expensive as they are in the West End, the intimacy of song and dance is emphasised. I found it to be quite touching at times, whereas big musicals sometimes fall victim to a slightly mechanical execution. Indeed, the power of musical theatre here may surprise those who aren’t usually found on Shaftesbury Avenue. One Lost Boy, whose post-Neverland career involves performing variety, observes that it’s the place where anything can happen. Incidentally, his homosexuality is told as a matter of fact not a shocking revelation – one of the strong components in a production that may do for young people and adults alike what Wicked does so successfully on a colossal scale.

The tribulations of war are as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago. Lost Boy doesn’t eschew the political and yet never becomes sentimental. A strong cast and solid songwriting unearth both the fun and the misery in the script with a flair that musicals can possess.

After the Finborough, Lost Boy is heading to Charing Cross Theatre, where there is more chance of a ticket because it’s bigger. But that probably won’t harm the magic.

Lost Boy is playing Finborough Theatre until 11 January and then transfers to Charing Cross Theatre for a five-week run from 13 January. Photo by Scott Rylander.