In an article that appeared in the December 1906 issue of
The Century Magazine, Louise Boynton said:

"New York needed Peter Pan. The play came at one of those discouraged moments when the public mind was occupied to an almost morbid degree with huge and vexing problems, and with things that were going wrong. Legalized evil-doing was rampant in business and politics, the exposure of fraud was the principal business of those who were not committing it. Cynicism was the dominant note in literature and dramatic art, a cheerful, clever, twentieth-century cynicism, but a bitter and depressing influence, for all that. At such a moment came Peter Pan, created in the mind of a man of insight and gentleness, embodied by a woman beautiful in life and thought, with the soul of an artist, and the heart of a child..."

Playing Peter Pan is not acting a role. It is embodying a living thought. It is expressing the life-force in the simplest, most beautiful way by teaching us to look at life from the child's point of view...Realities that seemed formidable are found not to be real at all, and all sorts of lovely illusions are dreams that may come true."

Maude Adams is buried next to her close friend and secretary Louise Boynton.


Never Never Land...

I know a place where dreams are born
And time is never planned
It's not on any chart,
You must find it with your heart
Never never land

It might be miles beyond the moon
Or right there where you stand
Just have an open mind
And suddenly you'll find
Never never land

You'll have a treasure if you stay there
More precious far than gold
For once you have found your way there
You can never, never grow old
So come with me where dreams are born
And time is never planned
Just think of lovely things
And your heart will soon take wings
Forever
In never never land


Music: Mark Charlap & Jule Styne
Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden & Adolph Green