"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust." In those few words the Scottish novelist and playwright James M. Barrie conjured from the mouth of Peter Pan, the mischievous young boy in his 1904 play of the same name, his own childlike outlook on life, whatever disappointments and betrayals it serves up.
Now, in the musical "Finding Neverland," which is based on the Oscar-winning 2004 film of the same name, Tokyo audiences can get up-close and personal with Barrie (1860-1937) in this semi-biographical fantasy drama centered on the writer's friendship with the Llewelyn Davies family — comprising parents Arthur and Sylvia and their five sons.
In particular, after Arthur's death at 44, Barrie developed a close — but evidently entirely platonic — relationship with his widow, and with her sons, the fourth of whom was named Peter. In fact, although he was married himself, the writer sometimes even supported them financially.
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