Finding Peter Pan

by Natasha Wolff | April 15, 2015 10:39 am

When Finding Neverland opens on April 15, it will bring the story of how Peter Pan scribe J.M. Barrie wrote his most famous creation to the Broadway stage. And while Peter Pan has appeared in countless mediums—from books to cartoons and feature films—the theater has always had a special appreciation for the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Here, we look back at some of the greatest Pans to grace the stage.

1905

It was just a few years into the Twentieth Century that Maude Adams—a Barrie favorite who would become the most successful performer of her time—debuted the character of Peter Pan on Broadway, become the first in a long line of women to play the young boy.

1954

Mary Martin might be the most famous Peter Pan of them all. Her first turn in the role, in a 1954 Broadway[1] production, won her a Tony Award, and she would later go on to play Pan in a TV production that won her an Emmy.

1979

Pan was a good luck charm for yet another actress—Sandy Duncan starred in a Broadway revival and the role garnered the actress a 1980 Tony Award. 

1990

Former gymnast Cathy Rigby took on the role of Peter Pan in 1974, a year into her retirement from sports, and would play Pan off and on—earning a 1991 Tony nomination—until 2013. 

2012

Adam Chanler-Barat played the titular imp in the Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher, the award-winning musical adaptation of a novel, co-directed by Alex Timbers and Roger Rees. 

2015

While Pan himself isn’t the focus of Finding Neverland, the show doesn’t lack star power. Matthew Morrison[2] plays J.M. Barrie and Kelsey Grammer is on hand as Captain Hook, making the case that Peter Pan’s history of winning hearts (and awards) probably isn’t over just yet.

Source URL: https://dujour.com/culture/finding-neverland-peter-pan-theater-performances/