When actress Allison Williams was cast as Peter Pan for NBC’s Peter Pan Live!, she encountered a wave of online comments questioning why a woman was playing the role. This reaction, while understandable to some, overlooks a long-standing theatrical tradition: the boy who wouldn’t grow up has often been portrayed on stage and screen by women. But Why Was Peter Pan Played By A Woman in the first place? The answer is rooted in theatrical history and practical considerations from the early 20th century.
The origin of this casting choice can be traced back to the original stage production of Peter Pan in London in 1904. As detailed in J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys: The Real Story Behind Peter Pan, it was the play’s producer, Charles Frohman, who advocated for a woman in the lead role. His reasoning was largely logistical. Casting a boy to play Peter Pan would have necessitated casting much smaller children as the Darling children and the Lost Boys to maintain a believable size dynamic on stage. Furthermore, strict English labor laws at the time restricted children under 14 from working past 9 p.m., which would severely limit performance schedules for a play heavily reliant on child actors.
Therefore, casting a woman in the role of Peter Pan solved several practical problems at once. Adult women could handle the demanding role, maintain the necessary stage presence alongside child actors, and comply with labor regulations. This pragmatic decision quickly evolved into a theatrical convention. The tradition stuck, and audiences grew accustomed to seeing actresses embody the eternally youthful boy.
Over the decades, numerous celebrated actresses have taken on the mantle of Peter Pan, further solidifying this unique casting tradition. Names like Mary Martin, who famously played Peter Pan on Broadway and in the televised version, Sandy Duncan, and Cathy Rigby are synonymous with the role for generations of theatergoers. Allison Williams herself acknowledged this legacy, noting her conversations with Duncan and Rigby before her own performance, emphasizing the “long history” of women in the role.
For Williams, stepping into Peter Pan’s shoes, or rather, tights, was a chance to embrace the unique opportunities the role offered. She described it as a “huge treat to be able to play a boy,” highlighting the privilege actors have to explore different personas. While acknowledging the initial confusion some viewers might experience, she gently pointed to the historical context: “The beginning of it is very boring and has only to do with the labor laws of women at the time, there’s nothing more complicated than that. From there it’s just tradition.”
In conclusion, the casting of women as Peter Pan is not a modern anomaly but a practice deeply rooted in the practicalities of early 20th-century theater production. Born out of necessity, this choice blossomed into a beloved theatrical tradition, celebrated by audiences and embraced by actresses who have brought their own magic to the boy who never grew up. The legacy continues to enchant, proving that sometimes, the most enduring traditions arise from the most pragmatic beginnings.
