4th Play - Lost Girl by Kimberly Belflower
Emma Bender (Curley), Abigail Paige (Wendy), Dyllan Seigmund (Toodles), Andrew James Bleidner (Slightly) from the Fuse Theatre of CT’s production in 2022.
Peter Pan was my second childhood crush, after Robin Hood. (Yes, the fox Robin Hood - laugh if you want, I know I’m not the only one.) So, I’ve always been drawn to the many books, plays and movies derived from the story. Also, I loved John Proctor is the Villain, so was very excited to read Kimberly Belflower’s Peter Pan-inspired play. I did not think Lost Girl was as good or as earth-shattering as I found John Proctor, but I did enjoy it. It’s fun to see a take on what happens after Wendy, John, Michael and the Lost Boys leave Neverland. This one was a little darker than I expected, and maybe a little less humorous, but with some interesting themes about growing up and moving on.
Summary: “Long after returning from Neverland, Wendy decides that she must find Peter in order to reclaim her kiss and move on with her life. Along the way, she meets other girls who went to Neverland and learns she is not alone. A coming-of-age exploration of first love and lasting loss, Lost Girl continues the story of J.M. Barrie’s beloved character – the girl who had to grow up.” Concord Theatricals
Laura’s thoughts in brief: This play was not what I expected; it was set in the modern world, unlike Barrie’s book/fairy tale that inspired it. Yet, that is the point, I believe. The play still retains some fairy tale elements, but asks the question: "What happens in the Real World when the Fairy Tale is over? Wendy is left eternally waiting for Peter at the window, as she promised, while the rest of the world - including her mother, a detective, a psychiatrist, and even the Lost Boys encourage her to move on. I loved that Wendy has a Chorus, a group of three girls who speak her thoughts that she doesn’t, or may not be able to express. I loved that the Lost Boys were loyal to her, but all decided that it would be better for her if they left. Everyone from the original tale is growing up and moving on, but Wendy can’t, or won’t. (MINI-SPOILER) Even Peter himself … As Wendy discovers and meets some of Peter’s “other girls”, she moves closer to releasing her idealization of him.
This play is a sweet, melancholy metaphor for the challenges of growing up, and moving on past a “perfect” childhood memory. Like one of the reviews, I thought that Wendy’s emotional “journey” lasted a little long - I was sometimes wanting to just tell her to get over it. But for people dealing with emotional issues, or even trauma, “get over it” isn’t really helpful.
I couldn’t find many productions outside of colleges and high schools, and I can see why. This journey is very interesting and possibly even eye-opening to young people in the throes of their own Peter Pan recoveries, but less interesting to those of us who have grown up and are facing more important challenges in our life. But that’s what being young is about, right? Everything feels SO important, from wearing the wrong shirt to sitting next to the wrong person at lunch. I might explore some of the choral movement from this play in a class, or even pull a scene for my college students, but this is not one that I am bursting to see, and definitely not be part of. It’s a younger person’s play, but if there are colleges around that want to do it, I would definitely be interested in directing for a school!!
READ MORE! Here’s what some of the critics had to say about productions: (Note that most of the production reviews I found were college productions …)
https://dctheaterarts.org/2023/03/11/peter-pan-broke-wendys-heart-can-it-mend-in-lost-girl/