Bernstein, Leonard. (1918-1990) & Karloff, Boris. (1887-1969) & Henderson, Marcia. (1929-1987) & Hillias, Peg. (1914-1960)
"Peter Pan" - Signed Souvenir Program
Rare souvenir program from Leonard Bernstein's 1950 musical adaptation of Peter Pan, signed by the composer and three of the principals in the cast, including horror film icon of Frankenstein fame, Boris Karloff, who here portrayed Captain Hook. 16 pp. Light wear to spine, overall in fine condition. 9 x 12 inches (22.9 x 30.5 cm.).Bernstein's adaptation of Peter Pan was conceived of as a full musical, though it was ultimately staged with only five songs to accommodate the limited singing ability of the cast. The show ran from April 24, 1950 to January 27, 1951, and was finally staged with much of the cut material restored in 2008.
"The history of Leonard Bernstein’s songs and incidental music for J.M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan is a complicated one. His involvement in the 1950 Broadway production, starring Boris Karloff and Jean Arthur, was relatively minimal in comparison to his other Broadway works. Invited to provide only a few dances and incidental cues, he found himself “losing his head” and surprised the producers by writing seven songs as well, including original lyrics. Bernstein was in Europe during the rehearsal period for the show, unable to participate in the creative process as he usually would for a new theatre work. It was Trude Rittman, credited as Musical Coordinator, who took his material and worked it into the production according to its needs, extracting reprises and underscores from Bernstein’s larger numbers and adapting Tink’s musical speech fragments to fit the play dialogue. This Peter Pan is not a musical—Bernstein did not structure a musical/dramatic totality as he did for his other stage works, and was not a direct collaborator in the production. Nevertheless, the score demonstrates a clear use of motivic development, and a consistency of gesture, innocence, and wit that together form a cohesive whole." (Garth Edwin Sunderland, https://leonardbernstein.com/works/view/46/peter-pan)
From the collection of Paul McMahon, a critic, photographer and artist who worked for more than 13 years touring with Marlene Dietrich as the icon’s stage manager, announcer, dresser, secretary and escort, and later spent 25 years as an arts and entertainment reviewer and photographer with Gay Community News, Esplanade, Tommy’s Connection, The Mirror, Bay Windows and other publications. (20900)
Performing Arts & Media Theater Signed Document/Item Signature