J.M. Barrie–Revived

Giving a nice twist to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel This Side of Paradise, the Pearl Theater in NYC brings two short plays by J.M.  Barrie–Rosalind and The Twelve-Pound Look–under the umbrella title This Side of Neverland.  Unlike Peter Pan, most of Barrie’s other plays have not fared well, in part because they feel like period pieces, with their depiction of Edwardian manners and mores, courtship rituals and marital discord.  But now we have what appears to be a successful revival of two of the works.

Here’s Catherine Rampell’s review from the New York Times

These two droll delicacies involve resourceful women with surprise identities. And both tuck proto-feminist messages into gently barbed social commentary — about aristocratic fat cats, class anxiety and the entertainment industry — that still holds uncomfortably true today.

Pristinely directed by J. R. Sullivan, both plays seem so good-natured that you hardly notice you yourself might be the object of dissection. Preshow and entr’acte piano-playing of period tunes like “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” whose misty-eyed lyrics are found inside the program, allow audience members to sing along. Don’t let the musical nostalgia and starchy dressing gowns fool you, though; as Mr. Sullivan makes clear, Barrie’s words are disturbingly current.

http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/05/14...