“Peter Pan” Aged 23

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 430, 11 August 1928, Page 24

“Peter Pan” Aged 23

English Actresses who Have Played Peter

A PRODUCER TALKS OF BARRIE’S IMMORTAL PLAY

Lichfield Owen, author of the following article, has been associated with the production of “Peter Pan ” for the past 23 years. Barrie’s immortal play has given many leading English actresses an opportunity to play Peter, and Mr. Owen discusses some of them below.

In the beginning I was associated with the play, and I have been associated with it ever since, except for two brief seasons. My beginning was as prompter, a position I subsequently exchanged for stage manager, and for some years I have produced it. During the play’s life so far there have been fourteen Peters. Some have been more Peter than Pan, and others more Pan than Peter. By this I mean that some of the actresses who have played the part have been more mortal than elf and others have been more elf than mortal. I am not a dramatic critic, and it is not my purpose to make invidious comparisons, but X feel sure I shall offend no one if I say that, from my point of view, the best Peter I have seen was the first —Nina Boncicault. Not only was she physically adapted to Peter’s requirements, but she gave a mentality to the part which was more elfish than anyone else, as developed in the character. In this respect she was closely run by the present representative, Jean Forbes-Robertson, whom I would place second on my list. During the second week of the original run Miss Boucicault became ill, and her place was taken by May Martyn, now Mrs. Nigel Playfair, who acted for a week and gave a very good performance. The next Peter was Cissie Loftus, for whom the Lagoon Scene was written. It was introduced that she might give some imitations of Captain Hook, who was played by Sir (then Mr.) Gerald Du Maurier, the original representative of the part, as he was of Mr. Darling.

Like Miss Boucicault, Miss Loftus fell ill when we were at Liverpool, and Pauline Chase, who was acting as the First Twin, and understudied the part, acted it, as she did for several years, so that she holds the record for the number of performances. Miss Chase was succeeded by Fay Compton. Then came Madge Titheradge, who gave us a Peter with dark hair, as Miss Loftus had done Unity Moore, who acted Peter for two years before she married Mr. Haig, the famous Middlesex cricketer, and retired from the stage; and Faith Cell!, who developed the ethereal side of the part more than anyone else. After her came Georgette Cohan, who was followed by Edna Best, the first Peter I produced. She, too, acted Peter twice, though not in consecutive years, for Joan Maclean, a Scotch actress, separated Miss Best’s engagements. The next in line of sucecssion was Gladys Cooper, who was Peter Pan for two seasons at the Adelphi. She was followed by Dorothy Dickson, who also acted the part for two years and at two theatres, the Shaftesbury and the Adelphi. Another Peter who acted for a short season in Manchester, followed by a provincial tour, was Zena Dare. Altogether, the play has been done at six West End London theatres —the Duke of York’s, the New, the St. Jstmes’s, the Adelphi, the Shaftesbury, and now the Gaiety. In addition it has, as I have hinted above, been done in the provinces, and two engagements were played in Paris. “Peter Pan” is noted for the fact that its actors come back year after year for the revivals. Last year there were four of the original members playing in it—George Shelton (Smee). Charles Trevor (Starkey), James English (Jukes), and John Gelt (whose real name is Forbes-Robertson, for he is Sir Johnston’s brother), one of the pirates. Some of the pirates have been coming back for twelve or fifteen years, and William Luff, the Captain Hook of last year, who often played the part on tour, began bis association with Peter as a pirate, which he acted for several years in succession. The children who play in the piece are exceedingly interested in their work, and some of them are exceedingly proud of the fact. Perhaps the palm for pride was carried off by a hoy who had his visiting cards printed with the part he played. It read; “Master Ganker, the Hind Legs of the Crocodile.” Among the young people who played in the piece and have subsequently achieved distinction I may mention Isobel Elsom and Mary Glynne, two charming Wendys; Phyllis Monkman. whose first part was the First Twin; and Noel Coward, who acted Slightly:

Acting honours in Lonsdale’s brilliant play, “The High Road,” in Melbourne, certainly go to Norman MeKinnel. When he is on the stage the audience has comedy acting at its best. His portrait of the dense, outspoken, rude old Lord Trench is excellent, the best that he has given in Australia. It certainly indicates the reason of his fame in England as a character actor. The London “Daily Express” recently deplored Mr. MeKinnel’s absence from England. His place, it said, has been impossible to fill. In this play at the Comedy Theatre Irene Vanbrugh is content to do much with the small part of the tolerant Lady Minster.