Ahoy There! What a Weekend!



Photo of Ms. Jones pirated from her Facebook page



I’ve had a wonderful weekend.

How can one not when the illustrious Andrea Jones, author of Hook & Jill, is sleeping over?

That’s right, folks. She and I finally had another “playdate.” We mostly filled our time talking shop. Yep, just as you’d think, with Peter Pan & Captain Hook.

I shared the insights and opinions I’ve had over the years regarding Barrie’s pirate captain, both clandestine and obvious. She’s working on a Hook  presentation and knew I’d have a good perspective. Glad to help.



She returned the favor sevenfold by sharing her insights and opinions of my interquel novel, Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between. I’ll save what she had to say for another post.

We were originally supposed to finish The Lost Boys, the Andrew Birkin BBC mini-series on the life of J.M. Barrie in relation to the Llewelyn Davies family (and hence the creation of his most famous tale) which we had begun during her last visit. But before she came we decided to forgo it, for neither of us remembered precisely where we had left off and we knew we’d run short of time. Besides, to fully appreciate the masterful work it would probably be best to start from the beginning. So I just lent it to Andrea to watch at her leisure (whenever THAT is in her busy schedule!) at home.

We had meant to watch another film, you see, and nearly didn’t get to it . But we did squeeze it in just before brunch on Sunday. The movie is Neverland by Damion Dietz. I’m going to leave commentary on this for another post as well. Suffice to say that it’s a very whacked out version of Peter Pan. Despite its outlandish take on it, it remains rooted in the deep psychology of Barrie and presents the darkness of it all quite well. Andrea enjoyed it, too, on both levels.

We of course stopped talking up the Neverland (and World) so that we could have dinner. A dinner made by Bart. Andrea loves his cooking (she’s not alone!) and has now tasted his specialty - Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables. Folks, let me tell you. Bart has perfected this dish. His chicken is soft and delicious and the vegetables are such that you’ll stuff yourself with more of them even though you have no room. He also tempted (tempted? Okay, yes, we happily indulged!) us with three kinds of scones and British clotted cream - a treat for two people obsessed with Peter Pan. (No, sorry, Bart didn’t make the scones. But he sure knows where to find good ones!)  Thanks, Bart!

On and on we talked about Barrie, his tale and our derivative stories. Andrea kindly detailed not just the next in her series, Other Oceans, but the events of the third book as well. You’ll love it, believe me. In turn I told her what happens in the next few books of the NeverWorld and she’d been just as entranced with mine as I with hers. And the best part is how different each of them are! Yet they have similar themes racing through them, as if we can both hear the hum of the tuning fork struck by Barrie.

So immersed were we that at one point Andrea wondered how it had suddenly reached 10:00 pm. It didn’t stop us, though, discussing matters until 2:00 am.

The brunch of which I spoke of course took place at Bananas Foster, one of the favorite haunts of mine and Bart’s. Andrea discovered their amazing stuffed French toast and opted for strawberry cream. Yum! And I just can’t get enough of the Bubble & Squeak.

Andrea also loaded up with copies of Peter Pan’s NeverWorld and the ‘promotional postcards’ [sized, not for mailing]. So if you happen to see her at one of the many upcoming pirate festivals, you'll  be able to pick up not just her delightful novel but mine as well. Also, I now have Hook & Jill bookmarks to distribute.

All in all, a very productive weekend. We actually managed to accomplish all we set out to do and got Andrea to Union Station with twenty minutes to spare!

I miss her already, as it’s so wonderful to have someone who likes to be spoken to about Peter Pan (and Hook), and she is an amazing woman. Until next time we’re face to face, thank goodness we can ‘see’ each other in cyberspace.

Not Panning Out?

Well, author Andrea Jones and I have been trying to schedule another 'play date,' if you will.  The last one had been almost a year ago.  We never did finish the screening of Andrew Birkin's marvelous presentation The Lost Boys starring Ian Holm as Sir J.M. Barrie.  I'm sure we will have more discussions on our favorite subject, as well as our respective introspective returns to the Neverland/World.  We were also hoping to take in the Lookingglass Theatre Company's new production of Peter Pan.  Unfortunately, though, the ol' scheduling bug keeps buzzing a fly into our ointment.

However, I recently looked up some reviews of the staging.  I hate to make a judgment without seeing the show myself, but from what I have seen and read, I am able to say with a great degree of certainty that I would not enjoy it.

Besides my normal pet peeves, such as the hook of the infamous pirate captain being on the being on the wrong hand and Tink being played by a person... it seems like the play is not very well received.  It's described as flat, unfocused and missing the core ideas of Barrie's story.

I think minimalism on stage has a definite place and can be done to great effect.  I've even seen a production called Alice's Adventures Underground which used a table as not just the tea table, but the Caterpillar's mushroom (which actors lifted above Alice's head to make her shrink) as well as turned upside down to represent the boat sailing down the Thames wherein Dodgson told Alice the whimsical tale about her at the beginning of the show.  Very creative and it had an aura of "Imagine with us!"  Now granted, I have not seen the Lookingglass Peter Pan, so it might in fact employ the same sense of wonder.  In fact, it's been praised for its acrobatics and choreography.  But from the pictures provided, I'm underwhelmed to say the least.

Darn it.  I'd been looking forward to another new adaptation, especially since it had been hailed as being on the darker side.  I tend to think of the darker side of Barrie's tale.  But truthfully, without the other side of the coin, the tale just doesn't work... which Barrie knew, of course.  And from what I've read, this production lacks the balance and command of his double-edged sword.

 

Oh well... I think this purist will be opting to not be disappointed.  A bald Captain Hook?  Not unless it's the one by Damion Dietz in the movie Neverland, thanks.

Meanwhile, Andrea and I might have to 'play' again in person in January.

Here are the reviews that swayed my opinion:

Chicago Critic (also from where I obtained the pictures)

Chicago Tribune