Tags
Books, Childhood, Christopher Newton, Fairies, Fiction, J.M. Barrie, Niagara On The Lake, Peter Pan, Shaw Festival, Theatre
Artistic Director Christopher Newton was at the helm during the Shaw Festival’s iconic production of Peter Pan.
On the day that my daughter and I went to see the play in Niagara On The Lake, I received a theatre program. Inside, Christopher Newton shared his thoughts on his love for author J.M. Barrie’s book, Peter Pan.
As I read it, he conveyed to me some Peter Pan magic of his own.
In an effort to prepare for directing Peter Pan, Christopher decided to visit the town he grew up in. What better place to find some insight into his boyhood roots he thought.
After all, Peter Pan is best known as the boy who never grew up.
His first stop was the home he had lived in while he was a young boy.
Of course, the house looked familiar as he viewed it from the sidewalk standing by the front gate. But somehow, the scene seemed all wrong.
The magic that he had anticipated at the thought of visiting his childhood home just wasn’t materializing.
After a few moments, he had a thought.
As he stood by the gate, he squatted down to half his size.
Then he grabbed the steel rungs just like he did as a boy.
He continued to peer into the front yard.
Gazing at his old house at the same height he would have been at ten years old he could feel his boyhood visions fall back into place.
Suddenly, the insight that had failed him only moments ago flooded back into his memory and he was ten years old again.
All it took was a simple adjustment to his vantage point.
As I read this narrative, it occurred to me that even the slightest shift in viewpoint can lead to a path on which I might find my own elusive magic moment.
Thank you Christopher Newton…
Thank you J.M. Barrie…
And of course,
Thank you Peter Pan…
Thank you for validating what I have believed all along…
Even as an adult, when the moment is right it’s okay to to affirm to myself that:
“I do believe in fairies.”