by Ella Hickson
Ella Hickson
WENDY
& PETER PAN
Adapted from the book by
J.M. Barrie
NICK HERN BOOKS
London
www.nickhernbooks.co.uk
Contents
Title Page
Original Production
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Epigraph
Characters
Wendy & Peter Pan
About the Author
Copyright and Performing Rights Information
Wendy & Peter Pan was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, on 10 December 2013. It was revived by the company in this revised version on 17 November 2015, with the following cast:
PETER’S SHADOW
Simon Carroll-Jones
NIBS
Cavan Clarke
TOM
Sam Clemmett
JOHN
James Corrigan
HOOK
Darrell D’Silva
WENDY
Mariah Gale
MARTIN
Adam Gillen
SHADOW
Susan Hingley
SHADOW
Jack Horner
MRS DARLING
Rebecca Johnson
SMEE
Paul Kemp
SHADOW/DOC GILES/CROCODILE
Arthur Kyeyune
KNOCK BONE JONES
David Langham
CURLY
Douggie McMeekin
MICHAEL
Jordan Metcalfe
TINK
Charlotte Mills
TIGER LILY
Mimi Ndiweni
MURT THE BAT
Dodger Phillips
SHADOW
Laura Prior
PETER PAN
Rhys Rusbatch
MR DARLING/SKYLIGHTS
Patrick Toomey
SLIGHTLY
Harry Waller
TOOTLES
Lawrence Walker
SHADOW
Jay Webb
DOC SWAIN
Dan Wheeler
All other parts played by members of the Company.
Director
Jonathan Munby
Designer
Colin Richmond
Lighting Designer
Oliver Fenwick
Music
Olly Fox
Orchestrations
Jason Carr
Sound
Christopher Shutt
Movement
Michael Ashcroft
Fights
Terry King
Video Designer
Ian William Galloway
Aerial Advisor
Jack Horner
Associate Director
James Blakey
Music Director
Bruce O’Neil
Casting
Annelie Powell
Dramaturg
Pippa Hill
Production Manager
Peter Griffin
Assistant Production Manager
Janet Gautrey
Costume Supervisor
Zarah Meherali
Company Manager
Jondon
Stage Manager
Francis Lynch
Deputy Stage Manager
Carol Pestridge
Assistant Stage Manager
Emma McKie
Producer
Kevin Fitzmaurice
For Elizabeth,
May you have the best of adventures.
Magic does exist. I promise.
Acknowledgements
Wendy and Peter Pan has been a truly collaborative project. In the four and a bit years of its development it has benefited hugely from the time, thought and love that have been poured into it from all those that have been involved.
Much of what we discovered in the initial workshops laid the foundations for the show as it stands today. I owe a great debt to everyone who offered their time and ideas so generously.
I’d like to thank the original cast for what was a hugely enjoyable and magical few months. Returning to Neverland this year with a new gang has enabled a wonderful discovery of so much I hadn’t seen before.
The characters that are now fixed on the page are a mixture of you all and I feel hugely lucky to have been able to build Neverland around such brilliant and inventive actors.
My time at the RSC has been very happy and enormously rewarding, I’m deeply grateful to everyone in the company for the huge amount of work that goes into a show of this scale. I’d like to thank the literary department, Pippa, Réjane and Collette, for all their time and support and Jeanie for those first conversations.
I’d especially like to thank Jonathan Munby, who made the magic real. It’s better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for an amazing adventure.
Finally, I’d like to thank my family for having provided me with all I needed to know about great escapades, teatime by the fire, brilliant brothers and what it’s like to be a much-loved child.
E.H., 2015
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand
For the world’s more full of weeping
Than you can understand.
‘The Stolen Child’
W. B. Yeats
In memory of Christopher,
and all the other lost boys and girls – play on
Characters
WENDY
JOHN
MICHAEL
TOM
MRS DARLING
MR DARLING
DOC GILES
PETER
TINK
TOOTLES
NIBS
CURLY
SLIGHTLY
CAPTAIN HOOK
SMEE
DOC SWAIN
KNOCK-BONE JONES
FIRST MATE MURT THE BAT
SKYLIGHTS
MARTIN THE CABIN BOY
TIGER LILY
THE CROCODILE
Plus SHADOWS, PIRATES
This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.
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?
MICHAEL. What?
JOHN. Taffeta? Urgh.
TOM coughs.
MRS DARLING. Tom? Are you all right?
TOM nods.
TOM. I’d just like cake. I can’t think of another two – once cake is in your head it’s very difficult to think of anything else.
MRS DARLING. Well, tea’s on the table if we /
MR DARLING (silly accent). / But listen here, my little fishes, there are only three wishes, so we must see who can stand the most…
CHILDREN (squeal and try to escape). No – please – no!
MR DARLING. TICKLES!!
MR DARLING captures all the children at the same time and tickles them furiously, the children squeal and squirm; it is a picture of the happiest of families.
MRS DARLING. Come on, cake-time! Downstairs!
MR DARLING. Last one down to the table is a jibbering jubber-dummy!
MICHAEL and JOHN race out of the room past MR DARLING. He turns to follow them and they exit. TOM coughs. MRS DARLING scoops him up.
MRS DARLING. Tom, you’re not all right – you’re not all right at all; you’re burning up.
WENDY. Tom?
MRS DARLING. Wendy, go and tell Father to call for Dr Giles. Now!
WENDY exits and returns and cowers to see the lights lower and the room get dark, shadows grow tall up the walls.
DOC GILES enters. His hat is leather, suggesting eyes and nostrils perhaps, his cloak long and shiny as if recently emerged from some nearby swamp – his doctor’s case a dark-green crocodile skin, its jaws snapping open and revealing sharp instruments within. The DOC(odile) takes little TOM’s tiny arm in his and we hear the loud ‘tick-tock, tick-tock’ of his pocket watch as it is held out to mark the child’s weakening pulse.
DOC GILES looks at MRS DARLING – it’s not good news. DOC GILES exits.
WENDY. Mother, I need to sew his button on.
MRS DARLING. Leave him, Wendy.
WENDY. But I forgot.
MRS DARLING. Bed.
Scene Two
The nursery is quiet and dark. MRS DARLING sleeps in an armchair by TOM’s bed. WENDY, JOHN and MICHAEL are asleep in their beds. TOM’s nightlight glows. The wind blows. The nursery window creaks open. In tiny moments, seen only by flashes of light from a fairy – TINK – that lingers by his side is the face of PETER PAN. He’s at the window, on a table, and then by TOM’s bed. PETER plays an eerie tune on his harmonica and suddenly he’s surrounded by an army of SHADOWS. The silent troupe hovers by TOM’s bed before lifting him up – up and away – out of the window and off into the night. PETER remains behind a moment. He catches sight of WENDY’s face and he can’t tear himself away. MRS DARLING rouses – the fairy grabs PETER and drags him out of the window. With a flurry, the window closes and above the nursery, in the nigh
t sky, a new star appears; the smallest, brightest star in the sky. TINK’s light darts across the sky, followed by the shadow of PETER PAN.
MRS DARLING rouses.
MRS DARLING. Tom? Tom.
Scene Three
Winter, 1909. The nursery is darker now, more sombre. WENDY stands at the window.
MICHAEL. Why do you keep staring out of the window?
WENDY. I’m sure I keep seeing a boy, or maybe the shadow of a /
JOHN. / Wendy, you’ve gone totally gaga.
WENDY. I’ve seen him – there’s a boy, I promise!
JOHN. Lost it, box of frogs. We’re going to have to put you in an asylum.
WENDY. Michael, into bed.
MICHAEL. I want Mother to tuck me in.
WENDY. Well, you’ve got me.
MICHAEL. Can we play pirates? Can I be Captain?
JOHN. I’m reading.
MICHAEL. Can you tell me a story?
JOHN. There was once a boy called John who died from always being asked annoying questions; the end.
MICHAEL. Wendy, John’s being /
WENDY. / John, have you washed behind your ears?
JOHN licks his hand and wipes it behind his ears.
Ugh you’re disgusting.
JOHN. I’m meant to be disgusting – I’m a boy.
MICHAEL. Fine, I’ll play on my own.
WENDY. Michael – bed!
MICHAEL exits into the bathroom. MRS DARLING is in her housedress about to enter the nursery. MR DARLING catches her. MR DARLING is dressed smartly and now sports an incredibly large and rather ridiculous-looking moustache.
MR DARLING. Why aren’t you ready?
MRS DARLING. I don’t feel up to it.
MR DARLING. We haven’t been to one work function this season; do you know how that looks?
MRS DARLING. I’d imagine it looks like something’s wrong.
