The Shadowmaster - TNT

Director Stephanie Sinclaire's adaptation of J.M. Barrie's "Dear Brutus" proves a slight, over-extended affair which reveals several of the recurring preoccupations of the famous creator of Peter Pan. Although short, it spends too much time on inconsequentialities and doesn't go far enough in developing the possibilities it raises.

Midsummer night brings together half a dozen individuals at a country house party hosted by the mysterious Lob (whom they never meet) and his trick-playing manservant. The long-standing marriage of one couple has been destroyed by loss and drink; a young husband flits between his wife and his mistress (who happens to be her closest friend); and nothing is good enough for a haughty aristocrat. But for a single night, the appearance of a magic wood gives the guests the chance to see what their lives would have been like had they followed different paths, before they return (perhaps a little wiser) to reality.

The scenes between the adults have a forced overemphasis, but the relationship of a father (Billy Geraghty) and his little daughter (who, like Peter Pan, will never grow up) has a convincing poignancy which promises deeper, more troubling insights than this charmingly designed production ultimately delivers.

Kings Head Theatre, Upper Street, NI (0870-890 0149). Until September 7. Tickets £15- £20