Category:Peter Pan (film subject)

Peter Pan (film subject)

Overview

J.M. Barrie's play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, premiered on 27 December 1904 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.

On stage, the character has been traditionally played by a petite adult woman. In the original productions in the UK, Peter Pan's costume was a reddish tunic and dark green tights, such as those worn by Nina Boucicault in 1904 and Pauline Chase (who played the role from 1906 to 1913). Early editions of adaptations of the story also depict a red costume but a green costume (whether or not made of leaves) becomes more usual from the 1920s.

Peter Pan appeared for the first time on screen in the 1924 American silent adventure film Peter Pan released by Paramount Pictures as an adaptation of the original stage play. He was then the protagonist of a 1953 animated Disney film.

The original 1954 Broadway production, starring Mary Martin as Peter and Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook, earned Tony Awards for both stars. It was followed by NBC telecasts of it in 1955 (& 1956), and 1960 with the same stars, plus several rebroadcasts of the 1960 telecast. A long hiatus followed, during which this 1960 production was presumed lost. There was a new production starring Mia Farrow with a new score, Peter Pan (1976). Finally, in 1988, the original 1960 videotape of the Mary Martin version was re-discovered intact, restored and remastered, and telecast on March 24, 1989 (then again on March 31, 1991) - the production's first TV showing in 16 years. This 1960 production of Peter Pan was released on VHS and LaserDisc home video in 1990 and on DVD on October 19, 1999. In 2000, A&E presented a TV production of the Broadway show, starring Cathy Rigby, recorded in front of a live audience. In 2014, the musical was broadcast on NBC featuring several new numbers, and starring Allison Williams and Christopher Walken.

In all musical versions, the title role of Peter Pan has been played by a woman, including Mary Martin, Mia Farrow, Sandy Duncan, Cathy Rigby, Allison Williams, among others. The only exception is the 2011 Bulgarian musical production, where the protagonist is a boy, Alexander Tanev.

The first interpreters of Peter Pan in a movie was also an actress (Betty Bronson, 1924). Ever since Bobby Driscoll gave his voice in the Disney movie, the character has been played by boy actors: Ryan Francis (1991), Jeremy Sumpter (2003), Levi Miller (2015), Alexander Molony (2023). The only exception is Kelly Macdonald (Finding Neverland, 2004) in a reenactment of the 1904 stage performance.