Peter Pan 2011

The first performance of this timeless play took place at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London on December 26th 1904. It’s provenance dates back further than that and the characters of Peter Pan and Wendy can be seen in earlier stories by J M Barrie such as The Little White Bird.

James Matthew Barrie was six years old when his older brother, David, drowned in a skating accident. His mother was bereft and never really recovered from the terrible loss. James however set about trying to replace his brother in every way that he could trying to spare his mother the pain of the loss. In a way, in dying, David became Peter Pan, the little boy who would not, indeed could not, grow up.

One day when walking his St Bernard dog, Porthos, clearly the inspiration for Nana, in Kensington Gardens, J M Barrie met the Llewelyn Davies children. He forged a life long friendship with the children, later adopting them when their own mother and father died, they became real Lost Boys, and together they created the stories of Peter and Wendy and Captain Hook as they played together in Kensington Gardens. The three boys; George (Mr Darling’s name), Michael (Wendy and John’s brother) and Peter (who needs no such explanation), all met untimely deaths themselves and so might also be said to have never grown up. The more that we learn about J M Barrie’s life the more we come to understand the complex roots of Peter Pan.

Peter Pan is many things, a tragedy, a story of loss, a comedy and most of all an enduring and adventure filled fairy tale. It is the many adult themes and sources that underlie the play juxtaposed against the childlike, playful fantasy that make it such a thrilling piece to work with and it’s appeal and mystery will surely survive for all time. The universal truth in the play is that in many ways none of us ever grow up and that we all go to Neverland – and whatever that means to each of us individually is perhaps a debate for another day.

Reviews

"Musical Pan Premieres" in the Hampshire Chronicle.
Review by Rebecca Case from the Daily Echo.

Photos

The photo gallery can be found here.