Guides...and blogs
Peter Pan
Friday 16th November 2018
One of our favourite recent purchases was an old autograph book with theatre and stage signatures from the WWI era.
This is the autograph of Pauline Chase, who played the lead role of Peter Pan and adds "I'm youth, I'm joy"
J M Barrie wrote, re Peter, "Either he must be the whimsical fairy creature that Nina Boucicault made him, or he must be the lovable tomboy of Pauline Chase. there is no other way"
She retired from stage in 1913.
Presumably Edward Compton is Edward Compton Mackenzie, actor-manager, whose daughter Fay Compton starred in several of J M Barrie's plays. The "I'm Nobody" reference is intriguing, might he have played or understudied for Captain Hook? (if the Nobody calls Peter Pan a Coward line was in that production!)
And that isn't the only link with Peter Pan as we also have the autograph of Dorothea Baird (Irving), who played Mrs Darling in the 1904 production of Peter Pan
This item was found in the autograph book of Louie Hall, which was started in 1910 and the last dated autograph was that of Nellie Melba in 1922. Many were obtained at the New Theatre and Empire Theatre in Cardiff and the autograph book was bought at a Cardiff auction