Peter Pan - Plays for Young Audiences

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By accepting any perusal script(s), Licensee agrees to and is bound by these terms. ... It's strange but Peter Pan didn't fly down into the church and stop it from.
Plays for Young Audiences A PARTNERSHIP OF SEATTLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE AND CHILDREN’S THEATRE COMPANY-MINNEAPOLIS

2400 THIRD AVENUE SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55404 612-872-5108 Fax 612-874-8119

Peter Pan Story by J.M. Barrie Adapted for the Stage by Douglas Irvine

The license issued in connection with PYA perusal scripts is a limited license, and is issued for the sole purpose of reviewing the script for a potential future performance. All other rights regarding perusal scripts are expressly reserved by Plays for Young Audiences, including, but not limited to, the rights to distribute, perform, copy or alter scripts. This limited license does not convey any performance rights of any kind with this material. By accepting any perusal script(s), Licensee agrees to and is bound by these terms.

Scene 1 – The Shadow Goes Missing A bed is on stage and large window’s curtains hang at the back. 5 actors enter- they are playing a game. Once the audience has settled down, the actor playing Wendy steps forward to begin the story – she tells the tale to the actors as much as to the audience. The actors play like children to bring the world alive (these include the shadows they will make later).

NARRATOR All children grow up. They become hairdressers, lawyers and shopkeepers. They become train drivers, dentists and astronauts. They become nurses, teachers and grown up with people with children of their own. (Indicating to herself) Wendy is all grown up. Oh but don’t feel sorry for her – she’s the kind that likes to grow up. She has a brother – Michael. He’s become a bearded man in an office - though he used to be a pirate killer. Wendy got married - in white with a pink sash. It’s strange but Peter Pan didn’t fly down into the church and stop it from happening. But that was many years ago. Now, Wendy has a daughter called Jane. One of the storytellers becomes Jane. Wendy beckons her to her bed. Jane jumps on the bed. She is pulling at the sheets excitedly. Wendy is amused. Suddenly Jane has pulled off the sheet and is running round the room pretending to fly. Wendy laughs.

WENDY (Lovingly) Come on you. Bedtime.

JANE But I haven’t flown over the mermaids’ lagoon yet...

WENDY Come here.

Jane continues her game.

WENDY I can see the pirates coming!

JANE Pirates? (Excited she jumps into bed) Are we safe?

WENDY Of course we are. I’m here.

JANE I love you Mum. (They hug) Tell me about Peter Pan.

WENDY Again? Sweetheart, that was such a long time ago – and how time flies!

JANE Does it fly the way you flew when you were a little girl?

WENDY Do you know Jane, I sometimes wonder whether I ever did really fly.

JANE You did.

WENDY Well I can’t fly now.

JANE Why not?

WENDY Because I’m grown up. When people grow up, they forget the way.

JANE So, tell me.

WENDY One evening when I was little, Peter Pan burst in to our nursery looking for his shadow. The silly boy, tried to stick it on with soap, and when he couldn’t he cried, and that woke me, and so I stitched it on for him.

JANE You’ve missed a bit. When you saw him sitting on the floor crying, what was it you said?

WENDY I sat up in bed and said ‘Boy why are you crying?

JANE That was it.

WENDY And then he flew us all away to Neverland.

JANE But what about the part with Grandma and Grandad and Uncle Michael?

WENDY If you snuggle down, I’ll tell you. (Jane does) I first heard of Peter Pan when I was just little and I found some leaves on the floor of my room. I knew they hadn’t been there when I went to bed and I said, ‘I think it’s that Peter again’. And my mother replied,

Another storyteller becomes Mrs Darling and sits next to Wendy on the bed.

MRS D What do you mean?

WENDY It’s really naughty of him not to wipe his feet.

MRS D (Lovingly) Silly - no one can get into the house without knocking.

WENDY I know but I think he comes in by the window.

MRS D But we’re three floors up.

WENDY Yes and were there not leaves at the foot of the window?

Mrs Darling seems distracted

WENDY (To Jane) There were leaves but she must have thought I was dreaming.

Jane is falling asleep. Mrs Darling starts searching the room. The narrator addresses the audience

NARRATOR Mrs Darling examined the leaves carefully but she didn’t recognise them from any tree she knew. She crawled around the floor, peering for marks of a strange foot. She knocked on the walls and let down a tape from the window to the pavement. It was a sheer drop of thirty feet, without so much as a drainpipe to hold on to. (Mrs Darling and the Narrator both return to the group) But then one night, after bath, and stories, when Wendy and her brother Michael were tucked up bed and had gone to sleep, (Mrs Darling has fallen asleep) she had a dream. NARRATOR She dreamt that a strange place had come too near and that a strange boy had broken through from it. He didn’t scare her, for she thought she had seen him before. In her dream he tore the film that obscures his never land, and she saw her Wendy and Michael peeping through the gap.

The window of the nursery opens, the curtains billow and an oversized shadow is seen on the drapes. It is Peter Pan. One of the storytellers accompanies him with a strange light which darts about the room like a living thing. Mrs Darling wakes up. Peter gnashes his teeth at her. Mrs Darling awakes with a scream.

NARRATOR Their dog Nana, ran into the room.

A storyteller has become Nana. She growls and springs at Peter who leaps to the window and disappears. Mrs Darling screams again and runs to the window.

NARRATOR Mrs Darling ran down to the street to look for his little body but he wasn’t there, and in the black night she could see nothing except what she thought was a shooting star. She returned to the nursery and found Nana with something in her mouth. . Mrs Darling takes a black silhouette from Nana’s mouth.

MRS D A shadow?

NARRATE She decided to roll the shadow up and put it away carefully in a drawer, until there was good time to tell her husband. That opportunity came a week later, on that never-to-be-forgotten Friday when Mrs Darling and her husband were going out for the evening. Wendy and her little brother Michael were tucked up cosy in bed.

Nana starts barking.

WENDY Please Mother, can Nana stay in our room tonight?

MRS D She’ll be fine in the yard.

WENDY But that’s not Nana’s happy bark. That’s her bark when she smells danger. MRS D Are you sure Wendy?

WENDY Oh yes.

Mrs Darling looks out of the window.

MICHAEL Can you see anything?

MRS D Everything’s quiet. No need to worry about anything. (To herself) Oh how I wish I wasn’t going to that party tonight.

MICHAEL Mother, you look beautiful this evening.

MRS D Why thank you kind sir.

MICHAEL Can anything harm us, after the night lights are on?

MRS D Nothing my precious - they are the eyes a mother leaves behind to guard her children.

MICHAEL I love you Mum.

MRS D And I love you Michael. (To Wendy) And you.

Mrs Darling kisses her children and gives a last look round the room - her hand on the light switch

MRS D Sleep well my beautiful ones. And night lights – burn long, burn bright keep my sleeping babes safe and snug tonight.

and

Mrs Darling turns the lights off and exits leaving the night-lights twinkling over the sleeping children. The storytellers watch.

SCENE 2 – Peter Looks for his Shadow Two night lights are burning. Slowly they go out. There is an odd atmosphere in the room. Then a light appears – very bright and very small – the same as seen earlier. It darts and flits around the nursery- searching for something. It goes in drawers, in the wardrobe, inside pockets of dressing gowns etc. Suddenly the curtains billow and Peter Pan drops into the room again.

PETER (Whispers) Tinker Bell! Tink! Where are you? (The light darts around the room again) Come out of that jug. Now where have they put it? (There’s a tinkle) Which box? (Another tinkle) That big box over there? (He goes to the chest of drawers) Got you!

He takes out his shadow but he has to wrestle with it and tame it. He succeeds and sits on the floor trying to attach it to himself. But it won’t fix. He starts to cry. Wendy wakes up and sits up in her bed and sees him.

WENDY Boy, why are you crying?

Peter quickly stands up and courteously bows to her.

PETER What’s your name?

WENDY Wendy Moira Angela Darling. What’s yours?

PETER Peter Pan.

WENDY

Is that all?

PETER Yes.

WENDY I’m so sorry.

PETER It doesn’t matter.

WENDY Where do you live?

PETER Second to the right and straight on till morning.

WENDY What a funny address.

PETER No it isn’t.

WENDY I mean is that what they put on the letters?

PETER (contemptuously) Don’t get any letters.

WENDY But your Mother gets letters?

PETER Don’t have a mother.

WENDY No wonder you were crying.

PETER I wasn’t crying. I can’t get my shadow to stick on.

WENDY It’s come off?

PETER Yes.

WENDY That’s awful! It must be sewn back on.

PETER What’s sewn?

WENDY I’ll do it for you. (She fetches a sewing kit) But it might hurt a bit.

PETER I won’t cry.

Wendy sews the shadow on to Peter. Peter leaps to his feet and jumps about in the wildest glee.

PETER How clever I am!

WENDY Of course, I didn’t do anything.

PETER You did a little.

WENDY A little!

Wendy jumps into bed and covers her face with the sheet. Peter follows her.

PETER Wendy, don’t go away. I can’t help crowing when I’m pleased with myself. Wendy? Wendy, one girl is more useful than twenty boys.

Wendy peeps out of the bed

WENDY Do you really think so Peter?

PETER I do.

WENDY That’s so lovely of you. I’ll get up again.

Wendy gets up. She and Peter are sitting side by side on the bed.

WENDY I can give you a kiss if you like.

PETER What’s that?

WENDY Surely you know what a kiss is?

PETER I’ll know it when you give it to me.

She goes to kiss him and sees his innocence and so gives Peter a thimble instead.

PETER Now will I give you a kiss?

WENDY Yes please.

Wendy leans primly forward to him. Peter removes an acorn button from his jacket and drops it in her hand. She slowly leans back.

WENDY I shall wear this kiss around my neck (She places it on her chain) Peter, how old are you?

PETER (Uneasily) I don’t know. But I’m quite young. I ran away the day I was born.

WENDY You ran away?

PETER I heard my parents talking about how I was to be when I became a man. (Passionately) I want to be a little boy forever and have fun. So I ran away from home and lived among the fairies for a long time.

WENDY (With admiration) You lived among fairies?

PETER Live. They can really be quite annoying. Always getting in the way, causing a nuisance. (He starts to laugh) They’re great! You see when the first baby laughed for the first time, its

laugh broke into a thousand pieces and that was the beginning of fairies. So there should be one fairy for every boy and girl.

WENDY Should be?

PETER You see, children know such a lot – or so they think – they soon don’t believe in fairies. And every time a child says, ‘I don’t believe in fairies’, there’s one somewhere falls down dead. (He gets up quickly) I can’t think where’s she’s gone to. (Calling) Tinker Bell! Come out you naughty fairy. WENDY (Thrilled) Peter, are you saying there’s one in my room?

PETER She was here just now. You don’t hear her do you?

They both listen and hear a faint sound

WENDY All I can hear is a tinkle of bells.

PETER That’s Tink. I think I hear her too.

Peter tries to find the source of the noise. He comes to the chest of drawers. He starts to laugh.

PETER Wendy, I’ve shut her in the drawer.

Peter opens the drawer and a light flies about in a fury making all sorts of ugly noises.

PETER Of course I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in there.

WENDY Oh Peter, can you get her to stand still? I’d love to see her.

PETER They hardly ever stand still.

WENDY Where is she?

PETER Look. There.

Tinker Bell rests for a moment and Wendy looks closely at her.

WENDY Oh how lovely!

PETER Tink, this lady wishes you were her fairy.

Tinker Bell answers

WENDY What did she say?

PETER She says you are great ugly girl, and that she’s my fairy. (To Tink) Tink, I’m a gentleman and you’re a lady so you can’t be my fairy.

Tinker Bell responds

WENDY

What did she say now?

PETER You silly ass.

Tinker Bell flies off

PETER She’s so common. (Apologising) She’s called Tinker Bell because she mends the pots and kettles.

WENDY So where do you live now?

PETER With the Lost Boys.

WENDY And who are they?

PETER They are the children who fall out of their prams when no one’s looking. If they’re not claimed in seven days, they find themselves in Neverland. I’m their Captain.

WENDY You must have so much fun.

PETER Yes - its great fun. But we’re so lonely. You see there aren’t any ladies.

WENDY No girls?

PETER

Oh no – girls are far too clever to fall out of their prams.

WENDY It’s so sweet the way you talk about girls Peter. Michael there hates us.

Peter goes to Michael asleep in his bed, looks at him then tips him out onto the floor. He remains asleep.

WENDY Hey! You might be captain in Neverland but not in this house.

Wendy sees that Michael is still asleep.

WENDY I know you meant to be kind, so I’ll let you give me a kiss.

PETER I thought you’d want it back (He gives her the thimble)

WENDY Oh dear. I don’t mean a kiss, I mean a thimble.

PETER What’s that?

WENDY It’s like this.

Wendy goes to give Peter a kiss. Suddenly Wendy screams.

PETER What is it?

WENDY Someone pulled my hair.

PETER Tink! I’ve never seen her so badly behaved before.

Tinker Bell is darting around furiously.

PETER What? She says she’s going to do that to you every time I give you a thimble.

WENDY But why?

PETER Why Tink?

Tinker Bell answers.

PETER She says ‘You silly ass’.

WENDY She’s very rude. Peter, why did you come here?

PETER To listen to stories. We don’t know any.

WENDY You don’t know any stories?

PETER Your mother was telling you such a lovely story.

WENDY Which one?

PETER About the prince who couldn’t find the lady who wore the glass slipper.

WENDY Peter, that was Cinderella.

PETER What happened?

WENDY He found her, and they lived happily ever after.

Peter gets up and rushes to the window

WENDY Where are you going?

PETER To tell the other boys.

WENDY Don’t go Peter. I know lots of other stories. I could tell you and the boys so many of them.

Peter grabs her

WENDY What are you doing?

PETER

Wendy, come and fly with me.

WENDY Fly?

PETER Fly with me and tell the other boys.

WENDY Oh dear. I can’t. What about mother. Besides I can’t fly.

PETER I’ll teach you.

WENDY To fly?

PETER I’ll teach you to jump on the wind’s back and away we’ll go.

WENDY Oh!

PETER Wendy, just think - when you’re sleeping in your bed, you could be out flying with me instead, touching the stars.

WENDY Oh!

PETER And Wendy - there are mermaids.

WENDY

Mermaids? I’ve never seen a mermaid.

PETER Wendy, how we would all respect you. You could tuck us in at night. None of us have ever been tucked in at night. And tell us stories.

WENDY Peter, would you teach Michael to fly too?

PETER If you like.

WENDY (To Michael on the floor) Wake up! Wake up. Peter Pan’s here and he’s going to teach us to fly.

MICHAEL What? Is he? Then I’ll get up. Oh I am up.

The storyteller playing Nana bark – it is very urgent - scared.

PETER PAN Quickly!

MICHAEL Can you really fly?

PETER Of course I can.

WENDY How sweet!

PETER

Yes, I am sweet!

MICHAEL So how do you do it?

PETER You just think lovely wonderful thoughts and they lift you up into the air. But first you need some fairy dust. (He sprinkles some dust on the children). Now let your minds go free - see those wonderful things and let go…

MICHAEL It’s so exciting!

PETER Now quickly, come to the window. (They do) Look at the stars – they’re calling to us, the moon will guide us to the fairies and mermaids…

MICHAEL Fairies? I don’t think we should go.

PETER PAN And pirates.

MICHAEL Pirates? Wendy, let’s go now!

WENDY Yes, let’s go Peter.

PETER Then come!

Wendy, Peter and Michael are at the window and suddenly they fly away into the night. Mrs Darling comes running into the nursery – out of breath.