Leonard Bernstein's version of JM Barrie's dark tale about the adventures and savageries of the nursery should be magical, but the Broadway musical genius must have been having an off day when he penned this score and these songs. Written in 1950, it was one of Bernstein's earliest musical theatre pieces, and although it has some haunting moments in numbers such as Wendy's wistful Peter Peter, too often the songs simply halt the action and add little to one of the greatest, most enduring and devastatingly cruel plays of the 20th century.
There is certainly charm and humour in Stephanie Sinclaire's production, which makes full use of the battered red-velvet intimacy of the King's Head to create a nursery atmosphere, but it would benefit from a little more craft, too. The show often feels like a superior school play, and although the mixture of child and adult actors works well, some of the adult performers could take a lesson from their younger counterparts. Peter Land doubles as Hook and a particularly despicable Mr Darling, who wants to take Peter's shadow to Sotheby's to be valued, and comes off best in a truncated version that never takes quite flight.
· Until January 14. Box office: 020-7226 1916.
