The Mature Her and the Child-like Me
Cast -
Peter Pan: Sasuga Chisa
Tinker Bell: Kathrina Griebel
Wendy: Yanagiba Panda
Act I -
My name is Wendy. This is a momentary miracle I experienced.
That night, the full moon was magnificent.
As usual, I told my little brothers a fairy tale to put them to sleep, but I couldn't sleep yet, so I was looking at the moon outside the window.
It was past midnight.
Suddenly, our dog Nana barked in the garden.
And almost at the same time, something flew into our nursery!
I jumped out of bed and looked around the room.
There was someone in front of the closet...I approached quietly. It was a boy.
He was dressed in strange clothes I'd never seen before, crouched down, sobbing quietly.
“Um, well...are you okay?”
When I spoke to him, the boy said sadly.
“The dog bit off my shadow.”
He was holding a black, flimsy thing, and when I unfolded it, it was his shadow.
I thought for a moment, then grabbed my sewing kit from the desk and sewed the shadow back onto his feet.
I got the idea from something I'd read in a fairy tale.
When his shadow was fixed, the boy was overjoyed.
“I'm Peter Pan! You're so kind!”
Peter Pan told me he lives in a world called Neverland.
He said Neverland is a world full of fun and excitement.
Peter Pan invited me to come to Neverland.
He said there are lots of lost children there, and that someone kind like me could be their mother.
While I was still hesitating, my little brothers, who had woken up and been listening to our conversation, started clamoring that they wanted to go too.
But you know, I only hesitated for a little while.
After all, it was a chance to go to a place like a fairy tale world!
When I told him I'd go to Neverland, Peter Pan was overjoyed.
And so, my brothers and I set off for Neverland.
Act 2 -
Just as Peter Pan said, Neverland was a truly wonderful world!
It was rich in nature and full of marvels you wouldn't find in London.
The food was delicious, and the Lost Boys were adorable.
There were a few scary or dangerous spots, but Peter Pan always saved us.
Oh, right!
We were told we'd fly to Neverland, but we can't fly, can we?
Just as we were feeling disappointed, thinking we couldn't enter this fairy tale world after all...
Suddenly, a tiny, sparkling fairy appeared at the window...but for some reason, she was really angry.
Peter Pan just grabbed the fairy without a care and sprinkled the dust from her on us.
In that instant, our bodies floated up and we could fly out the window into the sky.
We thanked the fairy, but she got really, really angry.
“I only did it because Peter Pan told me to!”
Her name was Tinker Bell.
Tinker Bell is Peter Pan's best friend, apparently.
I wanted to be friends with Tinker Bell, but she was always angry.
I think she was scared I'd take her precious friend Peter Pan away from her.
So I didn't mind being scolded.
But after we arrived in Neverland, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan finally had a huge fight.
Angered by Peter Pan telling her to stop bullying me, Tinker Bell flew off somewhere in defiance.
I begged Peter Pan to hurry and find her and make up, but Peter Pan sulked and flew away too...
Act 3 -
My brothers and I waited at Peter Pan's hideout for the two of them to return.
Then Captain Hook, Peter Pan's arch-nemesis, and his crew arrived!
We tried to flee in panic, but we were captured and taken to Captain Hook's ship.
Then, I saw a star twinkling far away.
But looking closer, I realised it wasn't a star at all-it was Tinker Bell.
She looked at me with a troubled, sad expression, but then flew away immediately.
Taken aboard the ship, we were about to be thrown into the sea.
In the sea lurked the clock-ticking crocodile Captain Hook feared, and he intended to feed us to it.
All to make Peter Pan sad.
The ticking sound of the clock inside the crocodile's belly grew closer, and I prepared myself to become its meal.
We were finally about to be thrown into the sea!
Just as I thought that, someone grabbed us, and we were pulled back onto solid ground.
Just in the nick of time, Peter Pan came to save us.
Beside him was Tinker Bell.
It seemed she'd told him about us being taken away!
Peter Pan fought Captain Hook in a fierce battle and won brilliantly.
Actually, this whole kidnapping started because Tinker Bell had told Captain Hook about our hiding place.
Tinker Bell apologised to us.
My brothers and I forgave her, and Peter Pan apologised for getting unfairly angry.
That settled everything!
But...we started worrying about home and told him we had to return to our house in London.
Peter Pan really didn't want us to leave.
But my brothers wanted to go back too, and we begged him.
Tinker Bell helped persuade Peter Pan.
Act 4 -
While we were preparing to leave, Tinker Bell told us Peter Pan had flown off alone toward our London home.
He flew away without listening to her try to stop him.
My brothers and I hurriedly followed after him.
We arrived at the London house at midnight.
From the open window of the nursery, we heard Peter Pan and Mama's voices.
Peter Pan had locked all the windows in the house, and it seemed he'd been caught by Mama just as he was about to lock the bedroom door.
Peter Pan declared to Mama, “Wendy won't be coming back!”
Mama was shedding big tears, asking about my and my brothers' safety.
“Mama, Peter Pan!”
When I called out, Mama rushed over and hugged me tightly.
Peter Pan looked surprised to see me, but he silently watched as we hugged and rejoiced at our reunion.
“Mama, I'm sorry. But Neverland is a wonderful place, and Peter Pan is a dear friend.”
Hearing my words, Mama said I could go to Neverland for one week every spring.
My brothers were overjoyed, and both Peter Pan and I smiled.
“Wendy, Neverland is always with you.”
Promising to meet again in spring, Peter Pan returned to Neverland with Tinker Bell, who had followed him.
The promised spring.
After my brothers fell asleep, I gazed at the moon through the open window.
I gently, quietly closed the window my brothers had left open so Peter Pan could come in anytime.
He definitely won't come anymore.
I was certain of that.
Neverland is always by my side.
And by my brothers' sides too.
Whenever I want to meet him, I can meet the version of me from back then, and the Peter Pan of my memories.
I still love fairy tales just as much.
But I'm changing little by little too.
I put the history book I'd left by my bedside back on the bookshelf and fell asleep.
Aftertalk -
Yanagiba Panda
Whew, so glad we wrapped up ‘Peter Pan’ safely~. Not just because of Chikage, but I feel like I gave a performance I'm satisfied with.
Sasuga Chisa
Yeah, Panda's mature Wendy was really great. She was such a charming girl that you could totally see why Peter Pan would want to stay with her.
Yanagiba Panda
Cut it out, you're overpraising me. If you're gonna say that, then Sassu was even better than during rehearsals, right?
Yanagiba Panda
Well, part of it was changing how I played the role from the A performance, but the ending also felt kind of bittersweet, didn't it?
Sasuga Chisa
Yeah. After their adventures, the Peter Pan who left isn't trying to see Wendy again like in the A performance.
Yanagiba Panda
Maybe seeing Wendy hugging her mother made him think. About Wendy's happiness.
Sasuga Chisa
Yeah. Hey, Panda. ...I want to keep performing on stage with you from now on.
Sasuga Chisa
I might make you feel bad again, like this time. But I want to stand on stage together like this...forever.
Yanagiba Panda
What's with the serious face all of a sudden? ...I feel the same way, you know!