Wendy & Peter Pan (NHB Modern Plays)

Ella Hickson

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781780013237
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Ella Hickson's version of J.M. Barrie's much-loved story puts the character of Wendy firmly centre stage, in an adaptation that is refreshingly modern but never loses the charm of the original.

Winter 1908. Snow is falling across London. Wendy Darling and her brothers sleep peacefully in their bedroom, as their parents bicker downstairs. In a sudden flurry of snow their window blows open, and into their lives tumbles a mischievous boy called Peter, followed by a fractious fairy called Tink.

With the aid of a little fairy dust, Wendy agrees to fly with Peter to Neverland, seeing not only the promise of an awfully big adventure, but also the chance to rediscover the key to her parents' lost happiness. Once there, she will give the Lost Boys a run for their money, defeat Captain Hook and his pirate crew, and ultimately, learn what it means to grow up.

Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ella Hickson's Wendy & Peter Pan premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December 2013. It was revived by the RSC in 2015.

The play will suit any theatre company or youth group looking to stage a classic tale, full of magic, adventure and strong female roles.

ACT ONE

Scene One

1908: the Darling children’s nursery – a winter afternoon. We can see the steeples and rooftops of London in the distance. A game of ambush is underway; the troops are in their hiding positions. JOHN, eleven, camouflaged and rather serious, has his target in his sights. MICHAEL, ten, clumsy and conflict-averse, has his hands over his teddy’s ears and TOM, six and utterly fearless, teeters on the point of action.

JOHN (hushed). Hunker down, chaps, rifles at the ready – ‘The beasts are in the undergrowth!’

MICHAEL. John!?

JOHN (accompanied by selection of ridiculous hand signals). ‘The red squirrel is concealing his snout.’

TOM. I’m not sure I understand.

MICHAEL. Mother said we were to be downstairs by five thirty!

JOHN. Get down!

TOM. Michael, I’m not sure I /

MICHAEL. / And it’s five twenty-seven and forty-three seconds!

JOHN. On my signal, it’s going to be ‘Bye-bye, Crimea!’

MICHAEL. Surely we could reach some sort of diplomatic solution before /

JOHN. / Weapons at the ready!

MICHAEL. Why must battles always be so – fighty? Why can’t we play at talking it through or agreeing nicely or shaking hands or /

JOHN smashes MICHAEL in the face with a pillow.

That was rather aggressive, John. I’m not sure I liked it.

JOHN. Tom – you’re promoted to first brother.

TOM. Wendy said we had to remember to do our homework before we played battles.

JOHN. We’re soldiers, we’re battling, we have far more important things to be thinking about than homework.

MICHAEL. Perhaps the soldiers are doing their homework in preparation for battle? Or… they’ve just come back and they’re all bloody and sweaty and tired and they think ‘ooh – maybe I’ll have a little rest and do a nice spot of quiet homework’?

JOHN (booming). Back to your positions! Rifles at the ready! Target in sights! One two –

As JOHN inhales ready to give the ‘Go!’, WENDY – twelve, scruffy-haired and big-hearted – blusters in.

UGH.

WENDY. John, your rugby kit is getting mouldy by the back door – Tom, come here, that button is falling off – are you playing battles? Can I play?

JOHN. No.

WENDY. What?

JOHN. The answer is no.

WENDY. Why?

JOHN. No girls allowed on the battlefield.

WENDY. I’m not a girl. I am a girl. Can I play? Please can I?

JOHN. Play? This isn’t a game, this is an incredibly dangerous /

WENDY. / Please?

JOHN plonks WENDY in the chair and ties her up roughly.

JOHN. Men, new objective – save the damsel before scalping the natives.

WENDY. I just need to sew Tom’s button on.

JOHN. Wendy, are you a damsel or are you a button-sewer?

WENDY. I’m a damsel but /

JOHN. / Damsels must be very very scared, then very very impressed, then very very grateful. No button-sewing necessary.

TOM. Maybe you could do my button afterwards?

JOHN. Don’t reveal your position!

TOM. I wasn’t!

MICHAEL giggles.

JOHN. Soldiers do not giggle!

TOM coughs.

No coughing.

TOM coughs.

Insubordination! Insubordination!

WENDY laughs.

No giggling!

WENDY (trying to restrain herself). Sorry – sorry – very sorry.

JOHN. That’s it! You’re fired.

MICHAEL (charging). Fiiiiiire! Fiiiiiire!

TOM. Fire!!

TOM charges. JOHN abandons control and, in a desperate plea for victory, launches himself at the bed – it’s joyous, raucous. JOHN knocks a bedside lamp and it comes crashing to the floor. All four children stop and stand, shame-faced.

JOHN. Thomas Darling, I cannot believe you just broke Mother’s lamp.

TOM. I didn’t break the lamp. Did I?

JOHN. Yes.

WENDY. John, you broke the lamp!

JOHN picks up the lamp and goes to hide it in the drawer.

MICHAEL. You can’t just hide it.

TOM coughs.

JOHN. Fine – we’ll do the proper thing – fine.

JOHN puts the lamp on the floor and bows his head.

In war, some men must fall; this lamp has made the greatest sacrifice, we commit this lamp to the ‘Don’t tell Mother’ drawer with great sadness. Amen.

WENDY starts making the ‘dum dum di dum’ of a funeral march. JOHN rests the broken lamp in the ‘Don’t tell Mother’ drawer, overflowing with broken toys. MRS DARLING, out on the landing, listens in, MR DARLING surprises her – twists her round and kisses her.

MRS DARLING. George!

MR DARLING looks at MRS DARLING.

MR DARLING. There’s a kiss that hides in the corner of your mouth and I can never quite get at it.

MRS DARLING. It’s time to call our children down for tea.

MR DARLING. You are the most delicious riddle.

MRS DARLING enters the nursery.

MRS DARLING. Teatime, you lot.

The children start running for the door.

Wait.

WENDY, TOM and MICHAEL stop – JOHN tries to keep going.

MR DARLING. John.

MRS DARLING. Something is – where’s the lamp?

JOHN. I don’t know what you mean, Mummy? What lamp?

MR DARLING. Wendy?

WENDY (opens her mouth and makes a funny throaty snotty sound). I can’t lie – snotfrogs come out when I try.

MR DARLING (stern). Did you break the lamp?

JOHN. Yes.

MRS DARLING. Well, that’ll be three weeks of pocket money – at least.

JOHN. No but I /

MRS DARLING. / AND you have to talk to your father.

JOHN hangs his head low – MR DARLING approaches, looking serious.

MR DARLING. If you have been careless enough to break the lamp then… (Whispers.) where’s the genie?

MRS DARLING. George?

MR DARLING puts a lampshade on his head and does some sort of ridiculous Cossack dance.

MR DARLING. It is wrote, the lamp is broke, a puff of smoke – then alacazam and alaberoo – I have three wishes I grant to youuu!

The children, delighted, run at their father and hug him furiously.

WENDY. Chocolate, books and mice!

JOHN. Lava, scorpions and pork pies!

MICHAEL. Plants, frogs and taffeta!

JOHN. Michael?...