A spectacular big-budget adaptation of Peter Pan flies into Birmingham this Christmas, with elements of cirque, animation and animatronics all helping to put a new spin on JM Barrie’s classic adventure story. The show also sees pop superstar Boy George make his pantomime debut as Captain Hook, a role that enables him to show off his evil side - as he tells What’s On... 

The producers behind last year’s arena-filling pantomime Elf The Musical are at it again this festive season. A new production of Peter Pan, which they’re proclaiming a ‘supersize spectacle’, comes complete with special effects, aerial stunts, immersive digital sets and even a huge floating galleon. Oh, and there’s a cast of 50, including a dozen cirque performers, a troupe of Irish and Highland dancers, rising comedy star Jordan Conway, and pop icon Boy George (another Boy who never grew up?) as the villainous Captain Hook.

The play marks 62-year-old George’s debut in pantomime, and he’s revelling in the chance to play the bad guy.
“I’m really looking forward to playing Captain Hook and showing off my evil side!” he says. “I make my first entrance on the life-size galleon that sails around the stage in front of an amazing water-wall fountain. 
“Although the show has traditional pantomime elements, it is so much more, being a mix of cirque and spectacular event. And I get a chance to fight a giant animatronic crocodile! What’s not to like?”
Playing Hook comes after a lengthy Culture Club tour of the UK, US and Australia - and the scale of ‘the world’s biggest panto’ production is clearly something that appealed.
“The scale and spectacle is what attracted me. If I was going to do a panto, it would have to be something special and unique,” he says, admitting he’d turned offers down in the past.
“With me, whenever I do something, it’s very instinctual and in-the-moment, so it wasn’t something I thought about long and hard. I’d seen that Martin Kemp had done it on TV, and I thought it would be fun. It’s very British. I think it’s going to be a hoot.”
As much as the scale of the production is what drew George to it, when I suggest that the spectacular visuals and special effects might ease any pressure on him as the show’s star name, he’s having none of it.
“I’m definitely not going to hide behind the hydraulics! When I do something, I commit to it completely. I don’t do anything in a half-hearted manner, whether it’s making a cup of coffee or playing Captain Hook. All those things are going to make the show fun, but I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t prepared to do everything I can to make it great!”

Whether ‘doing everything’ means he’ll finally get round to reading the JM Barrie novel or watching any of the numerous movie adaptations is another matter, as George admits he’s not overly familiar with the story.
“It’s one of those things that’s always been there. I don’t know it. I’ve never read the Bible, but I know that.”
Previous interpretations are clearly not as important as the current one, and George is quick to highlight elements of the new production that are likely to be, er, highlights...
“There’s one bit in the show where I get 200 inflatable cannon balls thrown at me by the audience. It’s going to be insane. I’m looking forward to learning the sword fights, too.”
He’s also relishing working with the rest of the cast, and expects to have plenty of fun with Jordan Conway, who’s playing Hook’s nemesis, Peter Pan. 
“He’s very dedicated and has a similar sense of humour to me. I’m sure he and I will be adlibbing plenty, especially in a scene where we trade insults before we launch into the sword fight. He’s just done a 15,000-feet sky-dive in costume to publicise the show. I’m not that dedicated!”
A cast member he knows even better is Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley, who will make her stage debut in the show as the mermaid. The two are long-term friends and George is godfather to both her children, but he’s clearly not prepared to get into anything too personal during our conversation. 

“Obviously I’ve already met some of the cast and they are all adorable, so it’s going to be a fun, family-orientated experience. 
“I don’t see it as work, I see it as fun. I’ve never really had a regular job, so to me it’s very exciting.”
He’s had ‘irregular’ jobs, of course, which in recent times have included appearing in I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! and as a judge on TV talent show The Voice. Variety and novelty seem to be important factors in his working life, and the chance to keep being that Boy who never grew up.
“I’ve always been a bit of a kid at heart - I still have a sense of adventure and welcome new challenges. The important thing is to embrace new ideas, and with Peter Pan I plan to take it seriously and do the best I can.”
He’s determined to do the same with his music, and admits he’s desperate to get back into the studio to put the finishing touches to some new solo material before going back on the road again.
“I’ve recorded enough music to release 10 albums in one day! I’m going to be doing my own thing next year. I’ve got some projects in the pipeline, but in terms of ‘live’, I want to go out with my own solo band - and I won’t be doing any Culture Club songs.”
Avoiding his biggest hits sounds like a risk, but George evidently likes taking them - and the life of a touring musician and performer is clearly one that suits him. 
“I love touring - I could spend my entire life on the road. I don’t necessarily enjoy the travelling aspect of it, but I love arriving in new places, I love a hotel room and I love room service.”
It’s a lifestyle that looks set to continue. Once the Peter Pan tour is over in January, he’s heading back across the Atlantic, confirming the rumours that he’ll be performing a residency of solo shows in New York. 
“It looks like I’m heading for Broadway after Christmas. No rest for the wicked - and they don’t get any more wicked than Captain Hook.”

by Steve Adams