PETER PAN : how many are there??

[astonishing]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 10:33pm

How many musical versions of this ARE there? I was just looking on the internet and there seems to be so many!
i mean beside the standard mary martin one are there many more? I thought the cathy rigby version was the same as that but i found a website with some diffrent music clips (really pretty music thuough!) but that was the cathy rigby one...

any answers appreciated lol

[Phantom487]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 10:45pm

The Cathy Rigby version is the same as the Mary Martin production. They both have lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Mark Charlap and Jule Styne. Although in the 70's, NBC produced an Arena Tour of this same version with a young Cathy Rigby as Peter, and they added a few songs written especially for that production.

In addition to that, there is a musical version by Leonard Bernstein. This one was on Broadway in the early 50's, and starred Jean Arthur as Peter Pan and Boris Karloff as Hook.

There is a British musical by Piers Charter-Robinson. This has never been professionally produced in the US, but is very popular in the UK. It originallly starred Nicola Stapleton as Peter and Ron Moody as Hook.

As far as I know thats it for stage musicals. However, there was a TV Musical in 1976 that starred Mia Farrow as Peter Pan and Danny Kaye as Hook. The music was by Anthony Newley and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. It is not very good in my opinion... the songs are boring and childish, Mia and Danny are not that great in their roles, and the whole production was very poorly dubbed. The flying illusions are minimal and lacking, and it's just hard to sit through, even for a die hard Peter Pan fan like me.

Hope this helped!
Updated On: 8/13/05 at 10:45 PM

[astonishing]

Posted: 8/13/05 at 10:54pm

THANKS!

[Phantom487]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 12:51am

I'm sure there are a few other musical versions I am forgetting...

Where is CapnHook?? He's a Peter Pan Expert!

[Phantom487]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 12:56am

OH! And just out of curiosity, where did you listen to clips from the Cathy Rigby version that didn't sound like the Mary Martin one? The orchestrations were re-done for Rigby's, so thats the only reason I can think of as to why they'd sound different... I'd like to check it out though, so let me know...

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 4:13am

There is another version of Peter Pan written by the two guys who wrote Honk (I am blanking on their names right now)

[ozbwayfan]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 4:57am

George Stiles and Anthony Drewe are their names (I think, I may have inverted the surnames). They also wrote the additional material for the West End Mary Poppins. They have sound clips from Peter Pan and their other shows on their website. Check out the Just So!, can't wait for the album...

Stiles and drewe website

[Act4ever]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 10:20am

There are also many smaller musical versions of of Peter Pan. Like, none that would or have ever been produced on broadway. Like for childrens theatres to do, etc.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/14/05 at 12:00pm

I'm online less and less these days. Otherwise I'd be on top of this, LOL.

For a history, visit my website, http://www.peterpanfan.com

MUSICAL VERSIONS:

(The play always had music. But actual song & dance/musical theatre styile didn't happen until 1951)

1951 - Leonard Bernstein's semi-musical on Broadway. Some songs were cut because Jean Arthur (Peter Pan) could not sing.

1953 - the Disney film.

1954 - Betty Comden, Adolf Green, Jule Style, Carol Leigh, and Moose Charlap all teamed up to develop a new PETER PAN musical for Mary Martin. Thus, the most popular and well-known musical version of the PETER PAN story. Later on Broadway, Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby were to do this version.

???? (can't remember atm) - Piers Chater-Robinson has a musical version in London that was performed many times.

???? (can't remember atm) - George Stiles & Anothony Drewe (most recently the new Mary Poppins, Honk, Just So, etc.) has a BRILLIANT musical version of the story! Done mostly in Europe and once or twice in the U.S.