Anthony Spargo takes on writing and villainous duties once again as the venue’s storied team take on Captain Hook vs the boy who never grew up
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Anthony Spargo is relishing a weekend off.
The veteran villain, panto writer and performer is enjoying a 48-hour period of calm before the onslaught of final tech run-throughs and then opening night for the latest festive show to flow from his pen at Greenwich Theatre.
This year’s show – which kicks off on November 28, 2025, with two performances most days until January 11, 2026 – is in some senses all about the passage of time and how we adapt as we age.
Peter Pan: A New Pantomime Adventure is again written by Anthony and sees him take the venue’s stage for a 12th season as the main antagonist.
“Captain Hook and King Rat are the two best villains in panto,” he said.
“I’ll be using the same hook I wore at Greenwich when we did Peter Pan about a decade ago to play the former.
“I’ve kept it safe all these years just in case the Captain was ever set to appear again and – lo and behold – he has.
“It’s a really good one, made of metal with a leather surround, and it’s brilliant to point with and threaten people.
“It makes you feel a little bit evil, which is delicious and the fact I get to wear a really enormous hat helps too.
“The show contains the juxtaposition of the boy who never grows up and Captain Hook who’s afraid of growing old and the passing of time.
“Without getting too dark, it’s about the inevitability of death.
“Writing the show is about balancing those two things out – it’s a really interesting subject and a theme to play around with in panto.
“The story follows the search for the secret of Peter’s eternal youth.
“Hook is hell bent on finding it out.
“He and henchman Smee discover a map to a location that may well be the source of Peter’s power – so of course he’s obsessed with finding the X that marks the spot.
“Naturally, Peter, Tinker Bell, Wendy and all the rest of the Lost Boys are there to try to stop him – but will they be successful?
“Then as a writer it’s about getting the mix right.
“Hopefully it’s a really fun show and anyone who’s familiar with our pantos won’t be disappointed.
“Things, as always, get slightly bizarre in act two – we always try and take the audience somewhere completely unexpected.
“The first half is always about setting up and introducing the characters.
“When that process is complete, you can start to really have fun.”
heroes and villains
The main character energy is duly divided up with Samuel Bailey returning to Greenwich as Peter Pan after a successful stint as the titular Dick Whittington last year.
As usual, the creative team of James Haddrell as director and “Uncle” Steve Markwick as musical director will be working tirelessly to ensure the theatrics and songs land with audiences.
“We’re thrilled to have Sam back because he’s just such a natural panto performer,” said Anthony.
“It’s in him – he knows how to deliver the material and just how to pitch it for all the family.
“He’s got a great voice and he can dance too – he’s a fantastic all-rounder – and he’s playing youth, imagination and adventure.
“In contrast, I’m getting on in years now and I’m starting to feel that on stage, which is a good fit for Captain Hook – although like a fine wine I’m just getting better with age.”
The hero and villain both have their team of backers with Olivia Williamson taking on the role of Tinker Bell.
Anthony said: “Tink is there for the kids. Her lines are full of Gen-Z slang, which has been great fun. I didn’t understand half of it, but
“My brother’s eldest daughter has just turned 14, so she’s just the right age to help me out. It’s all gobbledegook to me, but she’s been translating when we Google the slang and I think younger kids will really get it.
“As Peter mirrors Hook, Tinker Bell mirrors a character called Starkey, who’s played by Paul Critoph who was last in Greenwich panto nearly 10 years ago in Cinderella.
“He’s a salty old sea dog who’s wise but perhaps one step behind everybody else.
“There’s great fun to be had by bringing a full spectrum of ages on stage and having a laugh with that.”
Also on Hook’s piratical crew, Louise Cielecki returns to the Greenwich stage as Anthony’s hapless sidekick.
“She’s playing Smee – there was no other role for her,” he said. “We get on so well and we enjoy performing together.
“We tune into each other quite quickly and can half-guess what each other will be doing on stage.
“It’s great fun to be mucking about and improvising with her again.
“When I was writing it, I had her in mind and she’s brilliant at it, playing the bumbling buffoon albeit with an amazing singing voice. She’s a great all-rounder too.
“At Greenwich the panto just gets bigger and bigger every year.
“For me, when I’m writing it, it’s always about entertaining the audience – I always have one eye on what I think they’ll enjoy.
“That’s true for Uncle Steve and James too.
“We really want to give people a good time over Christmas. People can forget their worries for a couple of hours and escape to the magical realm of the panto, which this year happens to be Neverland.
“We have some fantastic sets including an amazing pirate ship.
“The Jolly Roger is there in full splendour – it’s one of the largest sets we’ve ever had.
“As an actor, it’s the kind of set you can’t wait to get on board and be a bit silly on.
“We’ve been in tech rehearsals for the show with full lighting, pyrotechnics, puppetry and sound – the whole works.
“Even when we have a bit of time off, the stage crew don’t rest.
“They are still there, tinkering, fixing, mending, building and tweaking things.
“We have an incredible team and it’s great to hear Uncle Steve alongside guitarist Gordon Parrish and Chris Wyles on drums back together again – they’re sounding great.”
the message in Peter Pan
While the show promises a whole imaginary world of fun, flight and nonsense, there’s also a message in all the madness.
“Not all pantos have morals we should take to heart,” said Anthony.
“Take Dick Whittington, for example. That’s a story that’s all about solving your problems by becoming rich and famous.
“I didn’t think that was a very good thing to be teaching kids, so we changed it.
“Our hero was there to save the day by defeating King Rat who had a plan to take over the world.
“In contrast, Peter Pan is about growing older, the passage of time, age and how we deal with all of that. The messages are really strong.
“Pantos do allow me to release my inner child.
“You’re writing this zany, mad stuff and you have to resort to childhood and imagination to do that well.
“They’re for all ages – from two to 102 – and it’s family entertainment, but I don’t tend to write stuff that patronises the kids who come.
“You don’t need to talk down to them.
“There will be references the young people don’t get and probably some the older members of the audience can’t understand too – especially Tinker Bell’s slang.
“But in the end, I hope everyone leaves feeling thoroughly entertained.”
the ghost of panto yet to come…
Anthony has already begun work on next year’s show, but Wharf Life has been sworn to secrecy on the title, which won’t be revealed until December 5.
“What I can say is that I’m already noting down ideas for the scenes in it,” said Anthony.
“What I really enjoy about the writing process is taking those 100 things and then seeing how 20 of them fit together like a puzzle to make up the story.”
Until then we’ll just have to settle for his ridiculous headgear.
key details: Peter Pan
Peter Pan: A New Pantomime Adventure is set to run at Greenwich Theatre from November 28, 2025, all the way through until January 11, 2026.
Performance times vary but there are frequently two shows a day.
Tickets cost £43.50 for adults and £22.50 for children under 16.
Find out more about the show here
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