opera singer wife as Peter Pan (it IS traditionally played by a woman- think Mary Martin). I was cast as "Grown-up Wendy," who only appears the last five minutes of the play. It worked out well, since B was still a preteen (but "mature" enough to not get cast as a "Lost Child") so old enough to be left at home while I had rehearsal- but not TOO often. I was the last person on stage... and the director reassured me mine was the part he was least worried about. I don't tend to stage fright & had my 5-6 lines pegged, so he knew I would pull it off :) (Hmmm- I have the video somewhere, and never HAVE gotten to see all of it...) Anyway, I digress... the point is, I know the story VERY well, and love it VERY well, also.
There are any number of film versions and even movies based on stories BEYOND the play. 'Finding Neverland' with Johnny Depp as the playwright is good (young Freddie Highmore is excellent). And our movie tonight (until D started falling asleep!): 'Hook'- with Robin Williams & Dustin Hoffman. Dame Maggie Smith (pre- HP McGonagall!) plays an even OLDER Grown-up Wendy. Some say the story is ridiculous, but I'm loving it (I've seen it many times) yet again. It's all coming back to me as I watch, and it's almost as if I've lived the story.But there ARE new things I've never noticed before (much to my delight). For instance- I commented to D that the one pirate looked way too young/wrinkle free to be the age they had "him" looking based on the very obvious wig & fake beard. In Googling for images for this blog, I learned it was actually Glenn Close! It makes me wonder who else may be hiding in the cast...
But the MOST important part I noticed... my "take-away, " if you will... was Peter's wife (and Wendy's granddaughter) trying to convince him to spend more time with his children. I don't know the exact wording, but it went along the lines of "It's only a short time- a few years- when they WANT to be with us" and how we need to make the most of those few years. Wow. I thought about how FAST the last 20-25 years have flown by (since High School, basically) and then thought about B's childhood. It went by in an instant, it seems. The years when she really "needed" us AND "wanted" us around (they don't always overlap, of course!) were really just a blink of an eye when I can remember things from 35+ years ago. And the same thing is happening as C & E are growing. I can already see C getting SO independent at times, and even E is getting where Mama isn't always the favorite (she's a Daddy's girl)- heck, there are days she could care less where I was!
Value these few short years. The days can be long, I know, but the years are short. Fast. My younger mama friends can't even fathom how fast the next 15 years will go. Don't wish them away and don't blink; you'll miss them. Both the years AND your babies. Good night- time for me to go kiss MY babies one more time.
