THE ROLES OF PETER, WENDY AND HOOK ARE NORMALLY PLAYED BY WELL-KNOWN BRITISH ACTORS, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, STARS FROM THE BRITISH FILM WORLD. IN THE 108 YEARS THAT PETER PAN HAS BEEN PLAYING THE CAST LLISTS ARE A VERITABLE WHO’S WHO OF THE BRITISH ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN THE TRAINING GROUND FOR A LARGE NUMBER OF WELL-KNOWN CHILD ACTORS.
WHEN PAN FINISHED ITS SIX WEEK LONDON SEASON, IT THEN WENT ON THE ROAD FOR SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS TO OTHER THEATERS AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES. IT NORMALLY PLAYED FOR A WEEK, OR POSSIBLY TWO, IN SOME OF THE LARGER CITIES. THERE WERE A NUMBER OF CHANGES IN THE CAST, BASICALLY WITH ALL OF THE LOST BOYS AND WENDY’S BROTHERS JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF THE KIDS AND GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS ABOUT MINORS. SO THEY THEN AUDITIONED SHORT BOYS ABOVE THE AGE OF 16 TO FILL THOSE ROLES. SEVERAL WERE JOCKEYS, MOST WERE HELLIONS OR LITTLE DEVILS BACKSTAGE!
DAVY JONES
DAWN ADDAMS AS PETER AND JANE ASHER AS WENDY
DAVY JONES PLAYED THE
TOURING MICHAEL FOR TWO
SEASONS, BEFORE BEING CAST AS “THE ARTFUL DODGER” IN THE LONDON, AND LATER NEW YORK PRODUCTIONS OF “OLIVER”. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY BECOMING ONE OF THE SINGING GROUP “THE MONKEES”.ON THE ROAD, ALL THE THEATERS HAD DIFFERENT SIZED STAGES SO ADJUSTMENTS TO THE SETS HAD TO BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. THIS OCCASIONALLY LED TO PROBLEMS, PARTICULARLY WITH SCENES WHERE THE ACTORS MIGHT BE FLYING.
A THEATER SINCE 1744 AD, BY ROYAL DECREE. THIS IS A SMALL THEATER BUILT INTO THE 14TH CENTURY SHELL OF A RUINED NUNNERY. IT IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE YORK MINSTER, ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRALS IN EUROPE. THE STAGE AT THE THEATER IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST POSSIBLE FOR TOURING PETER PAN INTO. ONE PARTICULAR PROBLEM IS THE PROCESS OF FLYING THE CHARACTERS OF PETER, WENDY JOHN AND MICHAEL. THIS IS DONE BY WHAT WAS CALLED KIRBY’S FLYING MACHINES. HIGH UP ABOVE THE STAGE IS WHAT IS CALLED “THE GRID” WHERE SCENERY IS INSTALLED ON CABLES TO BE LOWERED IN AND OUT AS NEEDED. THE LARGE PULLEYS THAT TAKE THE FLYING WIRES ARE INSTALLED ON THE GRID WITH STEEL WIRES THAT REACH DOWN TO THE STAGE. THE ACTORS WEAR A HARNESS UNDER THEIR COSTUMES THAT HAVE A CONNECTION RING THAT HOLDS A SPECIALIZED CLIP WHICH ATTACHES TO THE HARNESS. THE RAISING AND LOWERING OF THE ACTOR IN FLIGHT IS DONE BY AN OFF-STAGE WORKER WHO PULLS ON ROPES. THE PRINCIPLE IS THAT OF A PENDULUM WITH THE ACTOR BEING THE WEIGHT ON THE END. HE OR SHE THEN IS LIFTED ON THE THIN BLACK WIRE GIVING THE EFFECT OF A PERSON IN FLIGHT. THE ACTOR HAS TO STAND OR KNEEL IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT SPOT TO GET THE PENDULUM TRAJECTORY ACCURATE FROM START TO FINISH. THE HEIGHT OF MOST GRIDS IS BETWEEN 70 AND 75 FEET ABOVE THE STAGE, GIVING A LONG TRAJECTORY. THE GRID AT THE YORK THEATER IS ONLY 62 FEET, WHICH MEANS THAT THE FLYABLE DISTANCE IS MUCH SHORTER THAN NORMAL. AND IT IS SUPER CRITICAL WHERE THE ACTOR IS POSITIONED FOR FLIGHT. ON ONE PERFORMANCE, PETER WAS JUST ABOUT AN INCH OFF FROM WHERE SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THE FIRST FLIGHT THROUGH THE WINDOW AND INTO THE BEDROOM, THE WIRE CAUGHT AT THE TOP OF THE WINDOW AND PULLED DOWN THE WHOLE BACK OF THE SET. TEN MINUTES LATER THE UNDERSTUDY WAS READY TO GO ON WITH THE SHOW!
THE THEATER ROYAL IS ONE OF MANY BRITISH THEATERS THAT ALSO HAS A RESIDENT GHOST. I HADN’T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT HER BEFORE WE MET, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SKEPTICAL ANYWAY. I WAS WORKING IN A VERY DARK SCENE WHERE THERE WAS SOME TRICK FLYING INVOLVED. I SUDDENLY FELT TOTALLY CHILLED AND LOOKED TO MY LEFT WHERE THERE WAS A SHROUDED FEMALE FIGURE. I SUBSEQUENTLY HEARD THE STORY ORF A YOUNG NUN WHO HAD BECOME PREGNANT. SHE WAS BRICKED UP ALIVE IN A ROOM IN THE NUNNERY TO SLOWLY DIE OF STARVATION. THE BACK RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE STAGE IS BUILT INTO THE WALLS OF THAT NUNNERY. SHE WAS A BENIGN SPIRIT, AND EVERYWHERE I WENT IN THE THEATER AFTER THAT, SHE WAS THERE!
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