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Act I – The Upstairs Nursery of the Darling Home in London. As Mr. and Mrs. Darling prepare to go out for the evening, they come and say goodnight to their children, Wendy, Michael and John. Mr. Darling wonders if having a dog for a nanny is such a good idea. Mrs. Darling defends poor Nana, the children’s dog and nursemaid, who has been very nervous of late. One night last week, while the children slept, Nana saw a young boy appear in the middle of the room, but before she could catch him, he flew out the window. She was, however, able to grab his shadow which Mrs. Darling tucked away in a dresser drawer. While Mr. Darling acknowledges that Nana has done some good, he insists that she spend the night downstairs. Nana, barking her protests, is taken from the room by Liza, the children’s maid. When things have calmed down, Mrs. Darling and her children sing a lullaby – Tender Shepherd. Once the children are asleep, a fairy, Tinker Bell, and Peter Pan fly in through the window. Tinker Bell shows Peter where his shadow is hidden. Peter despairs when he can’t get his shadow to stick and begins to cry. Wendy wakes up and asks him: “Boy, why are you crying?” When he tells her, she offers to sew his shadow back on to him. Peter delights in his newly attached shadow – I’ve Gotta Crow. He then tells Wendy about the fairies and how they are dying. It seems that every time a child says he does not believe in fairies, one more fairy dies. Wendy asks Peter where he comes from, and Peter replies Never Never Land. Michael and John wake up. Suddenly, Nana and Liza, having heard noise upstairs, come in to check on the children. Peter and Tinker Bell hide while the children pretend to be asleep. After they leave, Peter invites Wendy and the boys to come with him to Never Land, and they all heartily accept. There is just one problem. How will they get there? Peter’s solution is easy. He throws fairy dust on them and, telling them to think lovely thoughts, he teaches them to fly – I’m Flying. Act II – Never Land. Outside their underground hideout the “Lost Boys” wonder when Peter will return. Suddenly they scream in fear as Captain Hook and his pirates attempt to capture them – Pirate Song. The Boys scatter and hide. Hook is out to kill Peter, for he is the one who cut off Hook’s hand and threw it to a crocodile, who now follows him about hoping for more. By chance, Hook discovers the Boys’ underground hideout and now summons Smee to provide the appropriate music to devise a plan for the Boys’ demise – Hook’s Tango. Suddenly, Hook hears the loud tick-tock of the crocodile, which has swallowed a large clock, thereby warning Hook that he is on his way. Hook and his men flee. The Boys are now safe, but not for long. Out of nowhere, Indians headed by Tiger Lily approach – Indians. Leaving the Boys alone, the Indians continue on their way through the forest, looking for the Pirates. Seeing a strange bird in the sky the Boys shoot it down with bow and arrow. When Peter, Michael and John land, they are distressed to see dear Wendy with an arrow in her heart. Wendy is not dead. However, until she’s well enough to move into the underground hideout, the Boys build a house around her in the hopes that she’ll be their mother – Wendy. Hook is so furious that the Boys have found a mother, that he develops a plan to kidnap Wendy and kill the Boys. Calling upon Smee to assist him, Hook performs a Tarantella. The next day, Peter leads the Boys in their anthem – I Won’t Grow Up. The Pirates have captured Tiger Lily and tied her to a tree. While hiding nearby, Peter imitates the Captain and orders the men to set Tiger Lily free. The real Captain shows up and is enraged at the discovery that his prisoner has been released. Who or what has set Tiger Lily free? Hook speaks out to this strange “Spirit of the Forest,” and Peter, still hiding, is only too happy to oblige. He converses with Hook using different voices – Oh, My Mysterious Lady. Peter’s triumph is short lived, for he is unmasked by Hook. Peter and Tiger Lily escape the clutches of the dastardly Hook. Later in the underground house, the Boys are effusive in their love for Wendy. Only a jealous Tinker Bell wishes Wendy would leave. Peter and Tiger Lily rush in from their chase. Together they smoke a peace pipe and vow eternal friendship – Ugg-A-Wugg. Tiger Lily and the Indians leave to stand guard against Hook and his men, above ground at the entrance to the house. Wendy asks Peter to sing the Boys a lullaby – Distant Melody. Listening to the lullaby, Michael and John long to return home. Wendy confesses that she too is homesick. She asks Peter if they can fly home. The Lost Boys wish they had parents and Wendy offers hers to all of them. Everyone is excited at the prospect of being adopted, except Peter. He says he won’t go. Wendy, seeing how sad he is, assures him that she’ll come back once a year for spring cleaning. Just then, the Pirates attack and subdue Tiger Lily and the Indians. Under the impression that the Indians have beaten the Pirates (from a secret signal that Peter and Tiger Lily had set up), Peter sends Wendy and all the Boys on their way. Before she leaves, Wendy pours out Peter’s medicine for him to take before he goes to bed. As they leave the underground house, they are taken away, one by one, to Hook’s ship, the Jolly Roger. Under Hook’s orders the Boys are to walk the plank and Wendy is to become the Pirates’ mother. Hook makes sure everyone is gone, then descending silently into the underground house, he puts poison into Peter’s medicine and leaves. Tinker Bell tries to tell Peter of everyone’s capture and warn him that his medicine is now poison. Peter tells her she’s being silly. In order to save Peter’s life, Tinker Bell drinks the poison herself. As she is about to die, she weakly tells a distraught Peter that if all the boys and girls in the world who believe in fairies would clap their hands then she would live. Peter asks children of all ages everywhere to believe and clap their hands. They do and Tinker Bell is saved! Taking his dagger, Peter heads off to rescue Wendy and the Boys and jumps into his new role as Peter Pan-The Avenger! Act III – The Jolly Roger. Hook basks in his moment of glory – Captain Hook’s Waltz. As the Boys are walking the plank, he hears the tick-tock of the always hungry crocodile. (In truth, it is only Peter carrying a large, loud clock.) A terrified Hook is defeated by Peter in an exciting duel to the death. As he is about to give up, Hook asks Peter, “Pan, who and what art thou?” Peter’s reply is simple: “I am youth! I am joy! I am freedom!” Hook tries to flee but he is then confronted with the real crocodile! He jumps off the ship and meets his well-deserved cruel and miserable fate. All celebrate Peter’s bravery and victory – I’ve Gotta Crow (Reprise). Night after night, back at the Darling home, Nana and Mrs. Darling await the return of the children. Then, one night, the Darling children silently appear at the open window and sing to their Mother – Tender Shepherd (Reprise). Amid tears of joy the family is reunited along with the Lost Boys, who are willingly adopted by the Darlings – I Won’t Grow Up (Reprise). Many years go by, and one night Peter flies once again into the Darling nursery. He wakes a much older Wendy, who has a daughter of her own, Jane. Peter wants Wendy to come with him for spring cleaning but she can’t. She’s old now: “Ever so much more than twenty.” Wendy leaves the room, and Peter begins to cry. His crying wakes young Jane, who calls out to him: “Boy, why are you crying?” Peter introduces himself. Jane knows all about him. She has been waiting for him to come and take her to Never Land. Peter throws fairy dust on her. As they begin to leave, Wendy returns and tries to stop Peter from taking Jane, but she knows she can’t. Reluctantly, she lets Jane go – “Just for spring cleaning” – and together into the night Jane, like her mother before her, flies off with Peter Pan to Never Land.

Credits

Wendy: Kathy Nolan John: Robert Harrington Liza: Heller Halliday Michael: Joseph Stafford Nana: Norman Shelley Mrs. Darling: Margalo Gillmore Mr. Darling: Cyril Ritchard Peter Pan: Mary Martin Lion: Richard Wyatt Kangaroo: Carle Eberle Ostrich: Joan Tewkesbury Slightly: David Bean Tootles: Ian Tucker Curly: Stanley Stenner Nibs: Paris Theodore 1st Twin: Jackie Scholle 2nd Twin: Darryl Duran Captain Hook: Cyril Ritchard Smee: Joe E. Marks Crocodile: Norman Shelley Tiger Lily: Sondra Lee Starkey: Robert Vanselow Cecco: Richard Winter Noodler: Frank Lindsay Mullins: James White Jukes: Frank Bouley Wendy Grown-Up: Ann Connolly Jane: Kathy Nolan Tinker Bell’s Voice: Jaye Rubanoff Pirates: Frank Lindsay, Frank Marasco, James White, John Newton, Arthur Tookoyan, Robert Vanselow, Richard Winter, Lucky Kargo, Albert Linville, Frank Bouley. Indians: Robert Banas, George Lake, Robert Piper, William Sumner, Richard Wyatt, Linda Dangcil, Lisa Lang, Suzanne Luckey, Joan Tewkesbury.