Thursday 5 November 2009

do you believe in fairies




the sophistication of barrie's  peter pan is enviable:

lost innocence, abandonment, kidnapping
pirates, american indians, fairies
edwardian london, neverland
battles, flying, disablement
lagoons, dens, boudoirs, ships, nurseries
dogs, ostriches, crocodiles
envy, love and grief
swashbuckling adventure
playing and playgrounds
the imaginary
and telling stories

and this presents many challenges
for actor and producer and director and stage manager alike

and challenges that are so very achievable

if you believe in fairies

if you can 'believe-in-the-barn': in

wonderland
narnia
middle earth
neverland

and this is where the real excitement lies:

the redskins were defeated?
wendy and the boys captured by the pirates!
i'll rescue her
i'll rescue her!

oh, that is just my medicine...
poisoned?

who could have poisoned it?

i promised wendy to take it
and i will as soon as i have sharpened my dagger

why, tink, you have drunk my medicine!

it was poisoned and you drank it to save my life

tink, dear tink: are you dying?

her light is growing faint
and if it goes out
that means she is dead

her voice is so low
i can scarcely tell what she is saying

she says
she says she thinks she could get well again
if children believed in fairies!

do you believe in fairies?
say quick that you believe!

if you believe: clap your hands!



oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!

and now to rescue wendy!



Act IV, Peter, Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie (1904)

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