The ticking of an alarm clock, a medley of pirates, fairies, Lost Boys and an alligator herald the arrival of the English festive pantomime season, when traditional stories and fairytales become the basis for lively musical entertainment. Peter Pan, the timeless tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, made its stage debut in London’s Duke of York Theatre on 27 December 1904, and its popularity hasn’t waned since.
There’s a festive feel-good factor to this children’s tale. In 1929, the writer and creator, James Matthew Barrie, signed over the rights of Peter Pan to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, with one proviso: that the income they received was never disclosed. To this day, the monies from Barrie’s creation constitute one of the greatest gifts the hospital receives.…
