PETER PAN by J.M.Barrie Adapted by Tommy Murphy
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PETER PAN By J.M.Barrie adapted by Tommy Murphy Meyne Wyatt Photo: Gary Heery Directed by Ralph Myers Resources for Teachers BELVOIR Peter Pan Resources for Teachers p1 Belvoir presents peter pan By J.M. BARRIE Adapted by TOMMY MURPHY Director RALPH MYERS Set Designer ROBERT COUSINS Costume Designer ALICE BABIDGE Lighting Designer DAMIEN COOPER Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY Assistant Director ISAAC DRANDIC Fight Director SCOTT WITT Choreographer SARA BLACK Stage Manager LUKE McGETTIGAN Assistant Stage Manager AMY MORCOM With Mrs Darling / Starkey / Second Twin PAULA ARUNDELL John / Crocodile JIMI BANI Slightly / Peter’s Shadow GARETH DAVIES First Twin / Second Twin / Cecco Petrucci / Black Murphy / Pirate Mullins HARRIET DYER Captain Hook / Mr Darling / Tootles CHARLIE GARBER Wendy GERALDINE HAKEWILL Michael / Tiger Lily / Jane MEGAN HOLLOWAY Nana /Smee / Nibs JOHN LEARY Peter Pan MEYNE WYATT Belvoir’s production of Peter Pan opened at Belvoir St Theatre on Wednesday 9 January 2013. Meyne Wyatt, Geraldine Hakewill Photo: Brett Boardman BELVOIR Peter Pan Resources for Teachers p2 CHARACTERS IN PETER PAN THE DARLING FAMILY NANA (a dog) MICHAEL Darling (the youngest) JOHN Darling (the middle child) WENDY Darling (the oldest and only daughter) Mrs Darling, their mother Mr Darling, their father INHABITANTS OF NEVERLAND Peter Pan Tinker Bell, a fairy Tiger Lily Slightly, a lost boy Nibs, a lost boy First Twin, a lost boy Second Twin, a lost boy Rehearsal Photo: Brett Boardman PIRATES Hook, Captain Jas. Smee Starkey Cecco Petruchi Black Murphy AFTERTHOUGHT Jane, Wendy’s daughter Gareth Davies, Jimi Bani, John Leary, Megan Holloway, Harriet Dyer PLACES (SETTINGS) IN PETER PAN act one. The Darling children’s nursery (bedroom) act two. The Neverland act three. The Mermaid’s Lagoon act four. The Home Under the Ground act five. The Pirate Ship / The Nursery and the Tree Tops An Afterthought. The bedroom of Jane, Wendy’s daughter Time: the childhood of the performers and now BELVOIR Peter Pan Resources for Teachers p3 Peter Pan SYNOPSIS – the story of the play ACT 1 – The Darling Nursery The three Darling children, Wendy, John & Michael are going to bed. Their nurse, a dog called Nana, and their mother are trying to get them tucked safely in. Mr & Mrs Darling have a business dinner to get to. Mr Darling panics as he can’t do his tie, but Mrs Darling is able to manage it to everyone’s relief. She doesn’t like to leave her children as she has seen a strange boy at their bedroom window. She tells her husband she found him inside the room and closed the window as he was jumping out, trapping his shadow inside. She has kept it rolled up in the cupboard. Mr Darling attempts to trick Nana into drinking some medicine, putting it in her bowl and pretending it is milk – it makes Nana sick and when the children comfort her, Mr Darling is angry and drags Nana out to be chained up in the yard. When the parents have gone, a strange boy (Peter Pan) flies through the window seeking his shadow. He is accompanied by Tinker Bell, a fairy. Tinker Bell shows Peter where his shadow is and he attempts to get it attached again. When that doesn’t work he sits down and cries. The noise wakes Wendy who sits up in bed and asks him why he is crying. She is appalled to find out that he doesn’t have a mother and that he was trying to stick on his shadow with soap. She offers to sew it on for him. He is delighted and crows proudly, making Wendy retreat. But he lures her back by saying nice things about girls. Peter tells her that he ran away on the day he was born and has lived ever since among the fairies. Wendy is overjoyed to meet a fairy but Tinker Bell says many rude things about her which Peter translates (from the fairy language). He lives in Neverland with the Lost Boys (boys who fall out of their prams as babies and who unclaimed within 7 days). They exchange kisses and thimbles, (mixed up) neither of which Peter has ever encountered before. But when Peter attempts to ‘thimble’ (kiss) Wendy – Tinker Bell pulls her hair. Wendy asks if Peter Pan came to see her but says he came to hear stories as they don’t know any. She tells him the end of the story of Cinderella and he rushes off to tell the others. He invites her to come with him - telling her they can fly to Neverland together. She wakes her brothers so they also can learn to fly. Once Peter sprinkles the fairy dust on them they get the hang of it and fly away with him to Neverland where there are pirates and mermaids and fairies. ACT II – The Neverland The Lost Boys (Slightly, Nibs and the twins) await Peter’s return. They are afraid of pirates and don’t yet know how the story of Cinderella turns out. The pirates bellow a sea shanty which alerts the Lost Boys to their approach – they scarper! Captain Hook holds forth on how much he hates Peter Pan for throwing his hand to a crocodile. Worst of all, the crocodile follows him everywhere, trying to get another bite. This crocodile has swallowed a clock and the clock ticks, warning Hook that the predator is coming. He prefers the hook he now wears instead of a hand. Hook and his bosun, Smee, realise that they are sitting on top of a concealed chimney – the Lost Boys’ hideout must be underneath them. Hook plans to cook a large rich cake to lure the boys to eat the cake by leaving it in the mermaids’ lagoon; they will eat it and die. The crocodile arrives and frightens Hook and Smee away. The Lost Boys emerge from their hiding places to find wolves are chasing Nibs – however, as their leader, Peter would do, they look at the wolves through their legs and the wolves depart. Nibs spies what he thinks is a large white bird flying towards them, moaning and saying, ‘Poor Wendy’. Tinker Bell tells them to shoot the Wendy and Slightly does. Wendy in her nightie falls to the earth but Tinker Bell mocks them. They realise that this is a real lady. Slightly is terrified and says good bye to his friends but before he can leave Peter returns. Slightly confesses he has shot the Wendy lady and tells Peter he is prepared to die. But just as Peter is about to kill him for his crime, Wendy holds his arm to prevent him. She is alive! His ‘kiss’ has saved her (the acorn she BELVOIR Peter Pan Resources for Teachers p4 had around her neck). On finding out that it was Tinker Bell who told Slightly to shoot the Wendy, Peter tells the fairy to go away from him for ever. The Lost Boys tell Peter Tink is crying and he relents and banishes her, not for ever, but for a whole week. Unable to carry Wendy into the house, they build a Wendy house around her. John and Michael turn up and are unable to believe these boys are going to so much bother for a mere girl. Wendy wakes up and is delighted by the house. They tell her they are all her children and she is shocked but agrees to take on the job of being their mother, which she starts at once, shooing them inside. ACT III – The Mermaid’s Lagoon The mermaids are lying about combing their hair – a Lost Boy tries to catch one but they all swim away. Wendy is disappointed but Peter tells her they are horrible and want to drown children. The Pirates are heard approaching and the Lost Boys and Peter and Wendy make themselves scarce. Smee & Starkey are bringing Tiger Lily to Marooner’s Rock, there to leave her tied up to drown. Peter imitates Hook’s voice perfectly and tells them to set her free. The pirates follow their (as they think) captain’s orders and set her free. Then the real Hook turns up with the large rich damp cake untouched. He laments the fact that the boys have found a mother. Smee comes up with the idea of kidnapping Wendy and making her their mother and Hook falls in at once. On finding they have let Tiger Lily go, he cannot understand what has occurred and speaks to the spirit of the lagoon. Peter answers him in Hook’s own voice and claims to be him, telling Hook he is only a codfish. Hook is appalled and asks if the speaker has another name? Boastfully Peter tells him after a succession of guesses, that he is Peter Pan, wonderful boy. A battle ensues but is interrupted by the crocodile. The Lost Boys and John & Michael travel home in the dinghy but there is no Wendy or Peter to be seen. They call out to them as they depart, thinking they must have swum home. Peter and Wendy are left alone on Marooner’s Rock and the tide is rising. Peter is wounded and can neither swim nor fly. Nor can Wendy make it to the island, swimming or flying without him. Suddenly they see the tail of the kite, and they escape on that. The moment before it carries them off, there is nearly a kiss between them but Peter pulls back. ACT IV – The Home under the Ground In their home under the ground, the Lost Boys and the Darling children are having an imaginary dinner, with Wendy presiding as their mother.