Trivia / Peter Pan (1954)

• Acting for Two:
  • Mr. Darling and Captain Hook are played by the same actor, which, like Peter being played by a woman, is tradition. The 2014 NBC adaption breaks tradition somewhat, as Mr. Darling and Smee were played by the same actor. This is most likely because Christopher Walken was cast as Hook, and would seem too old to father 12-year old Wendy and her even younger brothers.
  • In productions that cut Liza's Ballet, Liza's actress sometimes doubles as Tiger Lily.
  • In most productions, the actress who plays Wendy also plays her own daughter, Jane, when Peter returns years later. Mrs. Darling's actress also plays the grown-up Wendy in some stagings, though not all.
• Actor Allusion: There are several references in the 2014 version to Peter And The Starcatcher, a prequel story that starred Christian Borle (Mr. Darling and Smee) as Black Stache, aka Captain Hook prior to losing his hand. Most notably, one of his most prominent tattoos as Smee is of Kevin Del Aguila, who played Smee alongside Borle, dressed as a mermaid.
• Blooper: The 2014 Live show features a moment of Christopher Walken blanking out on stage.
• The Cast Showoff: Christopher Walken received a few new songs in the 2014 version, "Vengeance" and "A Wonderful World Without Peter", as did the actresses for Wendy (Taylor Louderman) and Mrs. Darling (Kelli O'Hara), who respectively perform "Only Pretend" and "Only Pretend (reprise)". All have melodies borrowed from songs that share composers with some of Peter Pan's numbers.
• Creator Backlash: NBC's 2014 adaptation seems to have become this for the network. Its ratings seemed drastically lower than those of their telecast of The Sound of Music the previous year, and it also became a target for snark for the Internet community. Not even NBC could resist taking potshots at Peter Pan - Saturday Night Live released a parody a mere two nights after its premiere, which showed less mercy to the cast, production design, and choreography than the previous year's TSoM parody did for its subject. This reception prompted producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to call adapting Peter Pan "a mistake", figuring they realized too late that it seemed too outdated and/or Adaptation Overdosed. In December 2015, after NBC's version of The Wiz earned both higher ratings and more positive reviews than Peter Pan, the network reran both The Wiz and The Sound of Music on two separate nights, but denied Peter Pan another airing. Chairman Bob Greenblatt admitted during his announcement of a Hairspray telecast that maybe Peter Pan ran too long compared to its predecessor and successor, but added, “I don’t mean that disparagingly”.
• Cut Song:
  • Most showings of the taped special and revivals of the musical omit Liza's ballet with the animals of Neverland and the Lost Boys' reprise of "Wendy". The 2014 TV adaptation does so, as well.
  • A number of versions leave out "Oh My Mysterious Lady", a song originally tailored especially for Mary Martin's vocal range. The Brazilian production keeps the song, but plays around with the context so Wendy is the one vocalizing, while Peter merely mouths along.
  • "When I Went Home", in which Peter somberly recalls discovering that after he ran away from home, his parents had another baby, then forgot about him. Mary Martin sang the song in tryout productions, but not when the show finally reached Broadway and TV. Allison Williams does sing it in the 2014 version, when Peter explains to Wendy why he doesn't want to leave Neverland.
• Follow the Leader: The success of the 1950s televisings motivated the networks to air several other fantasy musicals. Among others, Cinderella (Rodgers and Hammerstein) became the highest-rated TV program of its time, and The Wizard of Oz (which actually made its big-screen debut 16 years before Peter Pan's first airing) became a yearly tradition across the country.
• I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Many cast members of the 2014 production had just come off working together during the Broadway run of Theatre/Newsies, including several of those playing Lost Boys and Jake Lucas, who played John Darling.
• Never Work with Children or Animals: Defied; the 2014 live broadcast is the first production to have a real dog as Nana.