Who's idea was it to have a WOMAN play Peter Pan on stage rather than a MAN?

Question

Sandy Duncan is noted for playing Peter Pan. On what stage was this and why?

Answer 1

The idea to have a female play the role was that of the author JM Barrie. He cast a female in the first production in London but not because of the quality of voice or ease in flying. Indeed any male actor who can look the part and raise his voice high enough can pull it off just fine - I did it at the age of 24 and got along better then any female could--as for the idea of it being easier to fly a female this is a misconception, you must remember that Peter is one of four cast members the script says must fly and of the other three only one is a female (Wendy, the other two are her brothers Michael and John) and any experienced fly master knows perfectly well how to fly a male just as well as a woman. The reason a female was originally chosen is because in 1904 English laws didn't allow minors onstage after 9pm, and moving the curtain time sooner would make it very inconvienent for the high-society theatre patrons buying tickets. Casting a female was out of necessity and nothing else. Ever since it's debut the idea that a female could somehow play a fourteen-year old boy better than a 14 year-old boy has prevailed. In my opionion this is very strange. Peter Pan is a play that one should do only if you have the right cast to play it, which includes a male playing Peter through either age, makeup, or acting chops. The most recent film version out of Australia and starring an actual 14-year old boy has got to be the most shining example of justice done to the casting of the story I've ever seen. Sadly every community theatre in the country who knows Peter Pan will sell tickets and bring in revenue will undoubtedly make the decision to cast a female and once again the play will suffer because of it.

Answer 2

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Who's idea was it to have a WOMAN play Peter Pan on stage rather than a MAN?
Sandy Duncan is noted for playing Peter Pan. On what stage was this and why?

Answer 3

Is Peter Pan A Girl

Answer 4

I believe Calvin has the correct answer. Maude Adams was the first to play Peter Pan on Broadway in 1905. She was said to have an "elfish" look. Maybe in New York children were not allowed to perform at night or maybe the popularity of Maude Adams made her Barrie's choice, but somehow this must have started the tradition. Frankly, I prefer to see a boy play Peter Pan.

Answer 5

Mary Martin had the role first. She also starred in the movie "South Pacific", for which she is probably best known. As far as which stage did Sandy Duncan play it on - no idea, and why - because she's an actress.

The reason to have a woman play this role is that the role is supposed to be that of a young boy that never grows up. Having a man in the role with all the accompanying features of a man would not make sense if the role is played by an adult. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

There's no reason Justin Bieber couldn't have done Peter Pan... personally - I think men shun the role because none of them want to be cast as a boy who says he doesn't want to grow up. Except, of course, for Robin Williams may he rest in peace.

Answer 7

Mary Martin originally played Peter Pan because Peter Pan is supposed to be a "boy" and Mary Martin was smaller than a man. Sandy Duncan toured in the part. So did the former Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby. I dont recall any productions that used a male as Peter Pan. Pax - C

Answer 8

This seems more like legend than fact. If these English laws from 1904 did apply than how come John, Michael and all the Lost Boys weren't all played by females? The logic doesn't seem to follow all the way through.

Answer 9

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there is an old tradition in theater called "Performing En Travesti" the idea has been around almost as long as theater itself both in the West and in Asia. The term is from the European tradition referring to performing a role of the opposite gender. In Europe women were prohibited from performing in public (Shakespeare's era most notably) therefore female roles were performed by men or boys. Eventually, once women were allowed to perform on stage the tradition evolved to include examples of women portraying males. Usually if a role is performed En Travesti it is meant to lend a certain quality to the character that could not be achieved otherwise. A perfect example in ballet is the role of the Ugly Step-Sisters in Cinderella. You can imagine how two muscley men dressed up in women's lingerie wearing wigs acting like fools would lend, by contrast, a much more refined and graceful appeal to the main character who is dressed in rags and covered with dirt. I cannot say why the creators of Peter Pan the musical made the choice to design the role for a petite woman however I am confident their reasons were artistic rather than logistic. Besides... the precident for this artistic choice is solid. some examples: Mary Pickford as Little Lord Fontleroy :Silent film Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet :Silent film Octavian in Der Rozenkavelier :a soprano opera role Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro :a soprano opera role These examples are of women portraying men. There are many famous examples of men portraying women also. One of the roles of art in society is to challenge the viewer's perception of a world that seems familiar. Gender ambiguity is one of the standard tools used in art to achieve this goal.

Answer 10

hmmmm. It's probably because a womans voice is higher, and that is definetely needed to play Peter Pan. This is also the case in The Lion King. A woman always plays Rafiki.