For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w, 4m

Sarah Ruhl

A loving look at a family's view of death, life and the allure of never growing up.

For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adaptation (Literature)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior

Details

Summary
When Ann thinks of her father, she immediately remembers playing Peter Pan in her hometown theater in Iowa, particularly when he used to bring her flowers after her performance. Her memory is jogged by the fact that she and her four siblings are in their father’s hospital room during his final moments. His death sparks a conversational wake that includes everything from arguments over politics to when each sibling realized that they grew up. A loving look at a family’s view of death, life and the allure of never growing up.
History

For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday premiered at the Actors Theatre of Louisville as a part of the Humana Festival in March 2016 under the direction of Les Waters.

Keywords
Performing Groups
1, ANN – between 60 and 70. Plays Peter Pan.
2, JOHN – in his late 60s. Plays John in Peter Pan.
3, JIM – in his mid-sixties. Plays Captain James Hook in Peter Pan.
4, MICHAEL – in his early sixties. Plays Michael in Peter Pan.
5, WENDY – in her late fifties. Plays Wendy in Peter Pan.
GEORGE – in his eighties. In part 1, a dying man; in part 2, a ghost; in part 3, himself.
  • Time Period 1990s
  • Setting Sometime in the Clinton era. And in the land of memory. And Neverland, which has no time.
  • Additional Features Animal Spot, No Intermission, Special Effects
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Flying

Media

“A work that is equal parts dark and light, recalling the ebullient excitement of youth, but also confronting the hard fact of mortality.” – The New York Times

“There is an intrinsic lyricism to Ruhl’s ideas as well as her language in this work... Ruhl’s writing also gives voice to a binding love between siblings that overcomes conflicting beliefs.” – The Courier-Journal, Read More 

“A work that is equal parts dark and light, recalling the ebullient excitement of youth, but also confronting the hard fact of mortality… Ruhl’s imagination is among the most adventurous at play today in the theater.” – The New York Times

“Sarah Ruhl imbues the fantastical with a singular logic that is only hers but becomes yours during the course of the evening.  She gives a map to a kind of preternatural joy; only when the curtain comes down do you remember that we cannot fly, time travel, or conjure our departed loved ones.” – Mary-Louise Parker

“Having For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday to transport me back to my childhood now that ‘no one is standing sentry between (me) and death’ is a gift for which I lack adequate words to thank the playwright who wrote it for me.” – Kathleen Kehoe Ruhl (the playwright’s mother)

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Top 15 Plays and Musicals About Siblings
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Samuel French  
March 27, 2019

Videos

  • For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday at Actors Theatre of Louisville youtube thumbnail

    For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday at Actors Theatre of Louisville

  • Director Les Waters on For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday youtube thumbnail

    Director Les Waters on For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday

  • Actress Kathleen Chalfant on For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday youtube thumbnail

    Actress Kathleen Chalfant on For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday

Licensing & Materials



  • This title is not currently available for performance. To be informed as soon as it becomes available in the future, please submit a license application.

Scripts

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Authors

Sarah Ruhl

Sarah Ruhl

Sarah Ruhl’s plays include In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, The Clean House, Passion Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Melancholy Play, For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday, The Oldest Boy, Stage Kiss, Dear Elizabeth, Eurydice, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, Orlando, Late ...

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