A capital experience (From Hampshire Society)

A capital experience

2:37pm Friday 7th August 2009

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It was an awfully big adventure. Peter Pan was finally coming home to Kensington Gardens after more than 100 years – and the expectant crowd gathered there on a glorious summer evening could hardly wait.

A striking white marquee more than 80ft high had been erected in the gardens, enclosing a circular auditorium of just 1,100 tiered seats – each glorying in a perfect, unimpeded view of the simple stage.

It’s a heady, big-top atmosphere, and the elaborate flying mechanism dangling from the ceiling above the stage adds to the circus feel.

And, as with any good circus, there’s a huge wow factor.

When Peter, the Darling children and a rather malevolent Tinkerbell fly through the nursery window and off to Neverland, the entire audience is scooped up and taken along with them as they swoop over a 3D version of London projected on screens that run right around the tent.

From beginning to end, the audience is held spellbound by this magical production.

Ciaran Kellgren’s feral, pouting Peter is the perfect foil to Abby Ford’s motherly Wendy, but it’s Jonathan Hyde’s Hook – every bit as camp as the tent in which we’re gathered – who steals the show.

Never losing pace, the story swings from swashbuckling action to highly-charged drama as Peter urges his hooked audience to bring Tinkerbell back from the brink of death with fervent whispers of “we believe in fairies”.

And as the action draws to a close and we’re ushered out of the gardens by torchlight, it’s not only the children who feel as if they’ve been sprinkled with fairy dust.

Thankfully, we are able to avoid the masses heading to the Underground and plunge with relief into the smart lobby of the Royal Lancaster Hotel, just minutes from the gardens. We’d checked in earlier and managed to fit in a quick dinner before the show – although it was hard to choose between the hotel’s two stunning restaurants. Should we opt for the Island’s modern European menu – or try something more unusual in the award-winning Thai restaurant, Nipa?

The super-chic Island won the toss, and the modern split level space framed with floor-to-ceiling windows proved the perfect spot for people-watching on a light summer’s evening.

The modern European menu changes with the seasons and each dish vies to outdo the other. The summer vegetable risotto was a perfect balance of crunch and creaminess, and the lobster “sandwich” with its herby mayonnaise and crisp bacon was a sweet and salty delight.

Puddings feature such treats as vanilla and orange pannacotta with roast fig and shortbread, and sticky toffee pudding with sweet stem ginger ice cream. The friendly but never obtrusive waiter assured my daughter her chosen strawberry confection was the best on the menu, and as she teased the last traces of perfumed sorbet onto her spoon she nodded her agreement. Oozing marshmallow and zingy lemon cream is a combination guaranteed to silence even the chattiest eight-year-old.

Back at our base after the show, we retired to our room, high up in the 18-floor hotel renowned for its breathtaking panoramic views over London’s famous skyline.

All rooms boast a range of modern facilities and large en-suites, although upgrading to a superior or deluxe room will give you an added seating area and plusher bathroom.

Directly opposite Hyde Park, the hotel is the perfect location from which to enjoy all the activities on offer, from boating on the Serpentine to horse riding and open-air concerts. And if it’s a spot of retail therapy you’re after, it’s also just a few minutes’ walk from Oxford and Bond Street.

But for me, it was just a short flight from Neverland; and that takes a bit of beating.

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