Michael Llewelyn Davies (Kieran McShane) is the play’s almost painfully naive protagonist. Davies is the favourite adopted son of renowned Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie and one fifth inspiration for Barrie’s Peter Pan. Like Peter Pan, Michael’s story is one of a young boy who struggles with societal expectations, falls in love and fails to grow up.
The play commences in Davies’ carefree school days at Eton with his two chums Roger Senhouse (Sean Paisley Collins) and Robert Boothby (Matthew Werkmeister). It is here that he also meets the enigmatic Robert Buxton (Jordan Armstrong). Davies cannot resist the allure of Buxton’s impulsivity and charm, which promises to challenge his conventional existence.
Actors dressed in the tailored suits and boaters of a bygone era are set against a backdrop composed of a few lush pieces of furniture. The sets are simple but effective in helping to invoke a sense of a period defined by its affluence.
As the boys navigate the pangs of adolescence and leave the safety of Eton, each struggles with self acceptance in a world that is at once rapidly progressing and stringently opposed to difference. Many of the themes explored in the play maintain their relevance, particularly in the context of the ongoing debate on marriage equality.
The play deals with same sex attraction but also the universal emotion of love, although there is a strong focus on relationships between men. It explores the camaraderie of school friends navigating the path from adolesence to adulthood, a fraught father and son dynamic, the romantic relations of lovers, and the blurred spaces in between. There are glimpses of genuine tenderness, particularly in the relationship between Davies and Buxton, but some of the more pointedly sentimental moments fall flat.
The performances are solid and McShane is sweet and likeable as Davies. It takes a little longer to warm to Armstrong’s Buxton, but his over the top charisma is offset by the vulnerability he displays in his affection for Davies. Collins stands out as Senhouse and provides some much needed comic relief and pithy dialogue. He also adds some thoughtful commentary in his asides. Werkmeister also does an outstanding job as Boothby and makes the most believable transition into adulthood. He portrays a man, grieving and troubled, clinging to the conservatisms of a rigid society that has caused him immense loss.
Overall it is a solid and for the most part engaging production that encourages tolerance, acceptance and most of all love.
