By Jennifer Beasley.
A clever and well performed one-man comedy defies expectation and hilariously reimagines Peter Pan.
Dean Robinson, where have you been hiding? Certainly not in the closet, as this reframing of Peter Pan as the original ‘Twink’ at the Midsumma Festival shows.
Blasting through at a crisp 60 minutes, Robinson, writer and actor, puts on a stellar show that should come under the radar of the Queer Playwrights Awards.
Exploring the premise under the guise of a question, what if Peter Pan grew up? Robinson is the penultimate Pan man-child, partying and enjoying Gay culture through the ages. Until, that is, Pan discovers that he is no longer within the age bracket of a Twink – 18-25, white, thin and hairless. What does he do now?
Well, holding a ‘Twink Death’ is one way of dealing with it.
With encouragement from Tinkerbell, (a voiceover that sounds like Lois from Family Guy), a few very funny songs and audience participation, Pan can keep aging disgracefully or find his roots, and his ultimate ‘Fag Hag’.
With the kind participation from Amy and Jackie from the audience, there are visual jokes, slideshow and costume changes that gets the girls competing for this honour. Amy wins (yah!) and joins her Hero Pan in a cheerleader dance complete with pink sparkly bon bons.
Delving into aging, gaining weight, and the meaning of family and acceptance of oneself, Robinson cleverly weaves references to pop culture (Cher, of course), Hook as a potential Gay lover of Pan, The Gay Agenda, and why a ‘Fag Hag’ is a must (and I need this song on my playlist please!).
I will be watching Robinson’s career because I believe he is destined for bigger things. There is a Rik Mayall quality about him, from his thoughtful writing to his articulate diction, friendly demeanour and chaotic physical comedy.
His show, SWIFTTOK, will hopefully make it to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and he is also writing a new play based on The High School Musical, so that sounds like fun.
Warm and funny, and very inclusive, this show was a surprise. Well done.
Peter Pan A Twinkle In Time played at 8:30 pm at Explosive Factory until 23rd January 2026.
