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CASD 1717 – Fall 2024

Back to Peter Pan

Explore – Books for Young Children

1907

2020

cover for "1,2,3 in Neverland" with Peter and the Darlings flying over a landscape

Think more about Tiger Lily

Watch: That Musical and Tiger Lily

There are three videos in this playlist. The first is from the 1960 live telecast. The second is from a televised version of the play in 2000 and the last is a recording of the song in question, “Ugg-a-Wugg” as redone with slightly different lyrics (and with controversy) for Peter Pan Live! on NBC in 2014.

Consider what the movement in the first two, paired with the lyrics of the song seem to convey to an audience.

In communities around the country people continue to do the musical. At community theatres, many kids get to be involved as Lost Boys or Indians.

Optional – Read what the actor cast as Tiger Lily had to say of the 2014 televised production. (outside link)

Watch and Explore: Peter Pan’s of the 21st Century

On Film and TV

Includes trailers or clips from:

On Stage

Includes trailers or clips from:

  • Peter and Wendy, Mabou Mines, performed periodically between 1996-2011.
  • Peter Pan in Kensington Garden, Three Sixty Entertainment, performed on-site in Kensington Garden, London in 2009.
  • Peter and the Starcatcher, Broadway, 2012.
    • A prequel based on the book by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson.
  • Wendy & Peter Pan, Royal Shakespeare Company (UK), 2013, clip from 2019
  • Peter Pan, The Washington Ballet, 2014.
  • “Pan Pan Baby” music video for Peter Pan, The Musical at the Children’s Theatre Company (Minneapolis) in 2015.
  • Finding Neverland, performance clip from the Tony Awards, 2015. Based on the film.
  • Peter Pan Goes Wrong Mischief Theatre, UK, original trailer for 2016. Televised for the BBC in
  • Peter Pan at the National Theatre (of the United Kingdom) in 2017
    • This complete production is watchable through the Brooklyn College Library’s Alexander Street database.
  • For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday, Playwright’s Horizon (New York City), 2017.
    • The story of Peter Pan is used to tell a story of aging and the loss of a parent.
  • Peter Pan, a Musical Adventure at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in 2018.
  • Peter Pan and Wendy at the Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC) in 2019.
  • Peter Pan the Arena Adventure (with Boy George) from the World’s Biggest Productions/Jon Conway Productions, UK. 2023.
  • Peter Pan, The Gate Theatre, Dublin, Ireland in 2023.
    • This production swapped the double casting of Mr. Darling and Hook, to Mrs. Darling and Hook.
  • Wendy and Peter Pan

Peter Right Now. Tiger Lily Right Now.

In the last module, I gave you a link to a recent stage production, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, originally presented in the United Kingdom. When the show came to Broadway last summer, the scene in which Tiger Lily is rescued by Peter Pan was redone for the United States, eliminating Tiger Lily and replacing a rescue of a Lost Boy.

Rethinking the original 1954 musical

A newly updated version of the musical has been adapted by the Native American playwright, Larissa Fasthorse (the first Native American to have a play on Broadway, The Thanksgiving Play) and is currently touring in the United States with some expectation of a Broadway run.

Hear from the actor playing Tiger Lily

Optional: Read reviews from The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune.

Disney’s latest Peter Pan & Wendy, 2023

Explore the new film’s Tiger Lily

Watch and Read

Read more about this casting:

Blair, Elizabeth. “Peter Pan still hasn’t grown up, but Tiger Lily has changed.” NPR. May 9, 2023.

Lang, Cady. “How a New Peter Pan Adaptation Confronts Its Racist Origins.” Time. April 28, 2023.

What do you think of these various efforts to revisit and reconsider Peter Pan for today? Do you think that they are effective? A good idea? A bad idea? Do they ‘fix’ a problem or hide it? Should Peter Pan still have the prominence as a character and story that it does? Would you share the original text(s) or musical, or Disney film of Peter Pan today? If so, in what context?

Go Back
Go on to Vocal Exercises

Comments

17 responses to “Back to Peter Pan”

  1. Anthea longville Avatar
    Anthea longville

    The revisiting of Peter Pan today opens up interesting dialogue with the evolution of the perceptions of childhood, innocence, and adventure. It has remained a classic because in it are universal ideas about maturity, freedom, responsibility, and the bittersweet nature of growing up. I think it is effective in a good way because, with today’s values, its impact may differ depending on the audience. I am not sure if Peter Pan should still have prominence as a character and story that it does.

    Reply
  2. Sofia Buttaro Avatar
    Sofia Buttaro

    Like many older works, Peter Pan has flaws, chief among them being the damaging prejudices that permeate its depiction of Indigenous people. It is possible to view attempts to update or address these elements as a constructive method to maintain the story’s beloved elements while also making it more inclusive and considerate of modern ideals. When presented to young audiences, a conversation about its stereotypes can foster critical thinking about media representation.

    Reply
  3. Victoria Lucenti Avatar
    Victoria Lucenti

    I think that the various efforts to revisit and reconsider Peter Pan in today’s society has given this story leeway to focus more closely on the hidden messages of themes presented, such as adventure, childlike innocence, death, and coming of age. I think these variations have presented changes within each individual film that have been effective to showing hidden messages and themes to an older audience that are commonly seen as universal themes in today’s society. I would share the Disney film of Peter Pan today in a context that shows my own children important universal themes of adventure and childlike innocence that are held throughout this story.

    Reply
  4. Amy Khait Avatar
    Amy Khait

    I think that the continuous efforts to reconsider Peter Pan in today’s society has allowed people to focus closer and bring awareness to on certain hidden messages of the stories themes. It can help audiences with healthy conversations addressing certain prejudices and stereotypes. Also, there are ways to keep certain elements from the original version such as, Responsibility, Maturity and Adventure. However, there are ways to make Peter Pan more modern and perhaps more relatable to life and incorporate other themes from today’s society.

    Reply
  5. VANESSA Avatar
    VANESSA

    I think revisiting Peter Pan today has given the story a chance to be presented in a different way. The life changing things children endure as they grow are presented and different feeling are brought up. However I don’t think this fixes the problem. I kind of see it like authors, they write books and continue to revise them until it is ready to be published. Things can’t be erased and forgotten. I would share the Disney film of Peter Pan to today’s children because it does have a relatable message to children, innocence, maturity, adventure and so much more. It’s unfortunate that most of our childhood favorites have a dark up bringing but I’m glad that changes are being made to properly educate and show the young audience of today what the purpose of the story/movie is.

    Reply
  6. Mahnoor Avatar
    Mahnoor

    I think that it is great that there have been efforts to revisit a story such as Peter Pan because it is a classic. It has been around for so long and so many people have loved and related the story, so getting rid of it doesn’t seem right; however, revisiting it keeps it alive while avoiding stereotypes and misconceptions for kids who watch it. While changing the story for a younger audience is beneficial, I also think it is important to keep the original text around for an older and more mature audience. Being able to look back on it and learn why it has been removed and the hateful comments in the book really helps us as a society see the mistakes that have created years of hate. Teaching both versions is necessary, as it doesn’t just hide the truth but rather acknowledges it. 

    Reply
    1. Nitzan Naim Avatar
      Nitzan Naim

      I agree with every word you said! You phrased it perfectly. I especially agree with you that it is important to keep learning the original text because it helps us to look back and learn from our mistakes as a society.

      Reply
    2. Ariana Loyfman Avatar
      Ariana Loyfman

      I agree as well. Certain classic stories should be remembered however revisiting the story and re-creating it in a way that is carefully portrayed without any disturbing messages while still creating a memorable experience for fans of the story can still make it very powerful and memorable. We can learn from past mistakes and remember that beloved stories can be remembered but edited in ways that are better for future generations.

      Reply
  7. Selina Chen Avatar
    Selina Chen

    Revisiting Peter Pan today is a good idea because it helps the story fit better with today’s values. Updating parts of it can work if it makes the story more inclusive, but it’s also important to talk about why the original parts were problematic. While Peter Pan is still a classic, we should think about what it represents today. I would share the original story or movie, like the Disney film but only if it included a discussion about its history and how views have changed over time.

    Reply
  8. Tory Sen Avatar
    Tory Sen

    The recent popularity of Peter Pan has made it possible to look deeper into topics like adventure, childhood innocence, death, and growing up. Some movies have these themes over and over again, which makes them useful for sending hidden messages to an older audience. Kids can watch the Disney version of Peter Pan to help them remember these general truths.

    Reply
    1. Michelle Cortes Rodriguez Avatar
      Michelle Cortes Rodriguez

      I agree it has made it possible to look deeper into topics which is a good thing.

      Reply
  9. Kaylee Pontone Avatar
    Kaylee Pontone

    I think that stories like this are always revisited because their general themes were designed to be broad enough to always ben readjusted or fit a new generation. The correction of Tiger Lily and her representation is extremely important moving forward with readaptions.

    Reply
  10. Alexa Mendez Avatar
    Alexa Mendez

    The purpose of revisiting stories like Peter Pan are to carefully acknowledge the hidden messages and bring up. serious conversations on how they’re portrayed to children. It is a good idea to revisit them because now we can recreate them into being better or more approved for society and children.

    Reply
  11. Amna Syeda Avatar
    Amna Syeda

    Revisiting Peter Pan helps address outdated stereotypes, like those of Tiger Lily and her tribe. Updating the story can teach about past mistakes, but going beyond just changes is important. Sharing it today should include context to encourage discussions about representation, reimagining characters respectfully while keeping the story’s creativity.

    Reply
  12. Jaylyn Calles Avatar
    Jaylyn Calles

    What do you think of these various efforts to revisit and reconsider Peter Pan for today? Do you think that they are effective? A good idea? A bad idea? Do they ‘fix’ a problem or hide it? Should Peter Pan still have the prominence as a character and story that it does? Would you share the original text(s) or musical, or Disney film of Peter Pan today? If so, in what context?

    The various efforts to revist and reconsider peter pan for today is to cancel stereotypes and hidden messages that were initially put into the story. They are effective because the same message isn’t being conveyed. It’s definitely a good idea because we are making sure racism doesn’t continue to grow more than it already has. I wouldnt revist the original stories of peter pan or show them to any of my students to the understanding of the message being told.

    Reply
  13. Naurah Romulus Avatar
    Naurah Romulus

    Revisiting Peter Pan today is a good idea because it allows us to address outdated and harmful stereotypes, especially about Indigenous people. I still value the story, as I assume many people do, but these updates help make it more respectful and inclusive. As we talked about in the other modules, I think instead of censoring the way it was told before, we should should share it with historical context and explain the issues about it. However, I would only share the Disney version since that’s the one I’m more familiar with.

    Reply
    1. Shiraz Biggie Avatar
      Shiraz Biggie

      That’s interesting that you point out that you would share the one that you are most familiar with. There’s a certain nostalgia to what we consider sharing with future generations. Personally, I would be more inclined to share the original texts with older students rather than one that includes visual representation, but then, I encountered the text before the Disney film!

      Reply

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