The Death of Peter Pan.

Being unfamiliar with this play, I was a little perturbed by its title. To my great relief, The Death of Peter Pan turned out not to be an attempt to skewer one of my cherished childhood heroes. Instead, this multilayered, elegantly written and often challenging play tells the sad true story of 1920s Oxford University student Michael Llewelyn Davies - one of the adoptive sons of Peter Pan author JM Barrie - and his tragic love affair with attractively brash and outspoken Rupert Buxton.

Presented as a reminiscence of Barrie’s, who introduces the story and characters, Death of Peter Pan takes us back to Edwardian times and the friendship between Eton schoolmates Michael, Roger Senhouse and Robert Boothby. Though none are ignorant of the existence of 'the love that dare not speak its name', they're also well aware that there is no chance for two men to build a life together, at least not in England. This only becomes an issue for Michael when he finds himself falling head over heels for Buxton - and in true starcrossed fashion, it's the very depth of their feelings for each other that seals their fate.

Some of the best scenes were those that explored the burgeoning feelings between Michael and Rupert - delicately played by the appealing Kieran McShane and Jordan Armstrong. Playwright Barry Lowe has expertly encapsulated how it feels for an adolescent male to fall deeply in love with another, only to realise with a devastating mixture of bewilderment and anger that society will never permit the expression of one's feelings. Despite our distance in time from the play's setting, these psychological states still play out today for many young men so their representation on stage remains as relevant as ever.

McShane and Armstrong were complemented by a strong supporting cast – particularly notable was the wickedly arch but subtextually sympathetic public school figure of Senhouse as played by Sean Paisley Collins. A special mention must also go to Ian Rooney, whose memorable characterisation of JM Barrie was richly nuanced. Director Robert Chuter did a great job ably backed up by expert costume and set design, while Andrew Bishop’s music was ethereally evocative. Death of Peter Pan is a moving and thought-provoking piece of theatre and this production is thoroughly recommended.

Alex Paige

Images: (top) From left, Rupert Buxton played by Jordan Armstrong and Michael Llewelyn Davies played by Kieran McShane and (lower) From left, Nico Llewelyn Davies played by Benjamin Byrne, Mary Ansell played by Gabby Llewelyn Salter and Michael Llewelyn Davies played by Kieran McShane. Photographer: Marc Opitz,