Second Star to the Right - Drama Barn - 12/03/10

The promo for this production exhorts you to ‘Enter Neverland… a refuge for those who need to escape their reality’. Entering the Drama Barn on opening night was like stepping into an entirely different world. I can only describe it as an assault on the senses – the hazy atmosphere, the smell of incense and the surprise of finding grass under your feet all combined to completely transport the theatre-goer into Neverland. The twins (Patrick Fysh and Dan Wood) initially act as the circus ringmasters, beckoning in, seating the audience, and making mischievous comments whenever possible. The suitably childish tone of the play was set at the beginning when Dan Wood proudly proclaimed, ‘I need a poo’. Your standard Barn tragic drama, this was not.

The journey on which the audience is taken spins through a cast of characters and their personal stories. The structure of the play is essentially a series of monologues, which, although beautifully descriptive, left me wondering when the actual action was going to start. This could lead to a cast of individuals, but it was in reality a perfect example of a true ensemble production. Whilst one character was speaking, the others would create the story behind them. This was certainly the case when the story of The Girl of the Sea (Veronica Hare) was told. Lulled into a dreamlike state by the voice of Tinkerbell (Laura Horton) with a blue wash over the stage, the audience watched, magnetised, as The Girl of the Sea was thrown around from cast-member to cast-member in an impressive display of physical theatre. Although Hare’s compelling stage presence makes her seem like the only actor on stage, it was the support (quite literally) from the other players that carried off her performance.

Commendation must go to Tom Jones and Sarah Jordan for, respectively, costumes, and hair and make-up. Both were extravagant and visually provocative – the glitter dousing Horton as Tinkerbell and the white doll-face of Wendy (Beth Yarwood-Smith) tied up the imaginative and artistic vision for this production. It was an interesting choice depicting Wendy as a doll, with cherubic red cheeks and a white face, and contrasted her nicely with the chaotic representation of the Lost Boys. Yarwood-Smith did particularly well maintaining energy and the audience’s attention span in a role that mostly spoke in aphorisms.

The lighting was yet another factor that served to invent Neverland before the audience’s eyes. It is quite easy for lighting to be over-done, but in such a fun play as ‘Second Star’, the range of colour washes set the playful mood perfectly. One unfortunate drawback to the ghostly silhouette effect of the backlight was that the audience were unable to fully see the facial expressions of the actors. This did not matter in the overall view of the production, but in certain sad and emotional moments, I felt that I was missing out on some talented character portrayal from the actors.

Seeing ‘Second Star’ is like falling down the rabbit hole: it is not only a stunning ensemble performance, but also an experience in itself that is not to be missed. (That they managed to get turf into the Barn is recommendation enough!)

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