Trevor Nunn's PETER PAN

[zigfried]

Apparently this production was a new adaption of Barrie's play with Barrie as narrator.  It was written by Trevor Nunn and John Caird and had a man playing the role of PETER.  I believe in one of it's incarnations Hook was played by Ian (Gandalf) McKellan. Just wondering if anyone here saw this and if they could please describe the differences from Barrie's original work.  Also, I hear the set was amazing and the flying was quite good.
Anyone here see this production? If so please comment.

[andrew]

Yes, I saw it - in fact I helped Trevor and John with the script, for which I received a generous credit in the prgramme.... but I can't say I greatly cared for it. The "boy" playing Peter had his testicles around his knees, therby making a mockery of the whole concept, and if the actor/actoress playing Peter's no good it doesn't really matter what else works (e.g. the recent movie).
T and J fell in love with Barrie's stage directions, and had a Barriesque narrator reading them from the wings, which in my view undercut Barrie's drama - i.e. everything was repeared: once by the narrator, and again in the action. But it received mostly good reviews at the time, I think largely because everyone was so happy to see PP more or less as JMB wrote it, rather than the drab pantomime that had been trotted out annually up until then.
The basic problem with giving PP to GOSH in 1929 was that it became a money-making machine for the hospital. Prior to 1929, no expense had been spared in its annual revival, but from then onwards economy was the order of the season, with a general dumbing down in order to gain the maximum number of bums on seats. In this respect the RSC production shone, but in my view (and - I gather - the Queen's!) it fell far short of perfection.

[TheWendybird]

Yes, I saw it - in fact I helped Trevor and John with the script, for which I received a generous credit in the prgramme.... but I can't say I greatly cared for it. The "boy" playing Peter had his testicles around his knees, therby making a mockery of the whole concept, and if the actor/actoress playing Peter's no good it doesn't really matter what else works (e.g. the recent movie).

By the recent movie do you mean the 2003 one? I thought Jeremy had the impish look I just found there wasn't as much opportunity for them to have it shine...perhaps that's just me though. I thought the movie shoulda been longer and more in depth than it was....I really loved the depth of the Peter/Wendy relationship in that one...aside from the fact I wish the mother stuff was in it more as well. Other than that my biggest issue was lack of brattiness and Hook flying. Curious to hear what you have to say about it