another voice. ‘She’s free to wear what she likes isn’t she?
Like you’re free and I’m free.’
Elsa,
settling in her seat, lets her white foxes fall from her shoulder.
‘Those
jewels real?’ says someone.
Princess
Xavier, who has been settled with difficulty in her seat between Garven and
Paul, now makes further difficulties for them by rising. She turns to the
audience and calls out, ‘Our jewels are as real as you are.’
This
wins further applause.
The
Princess allows herself to be helped back into her seat, complaining, ‘We’ve
been far-out longer than they have.’
A man
slinks down the aisle, and takes a flash picture of the group of four. Paul
starts with fright. Garven looks fiercely at Elsa. But the house has filled and
the hubbub becomes a murmur. Soon a hush falls and the curtain rises.
‘It’s a
crime to do this to a little kids’ entertainment,’ someone says after the
first act. ‘It’s sick.’
‘Sick
is interesting. Sick is real.’
All the
same, laughter has arisen., has roared and has filtered away to silence again. and
again during the first act.
‘I find
it a bit baleful,’ says the Princess. ‘It’s a great idea,’ says Garven. ‘It
gives you another dimension, seeing all those old hands. Peter Pan was really
good when. he flew in.. It must have been a strain on the old fellow. I must
say it was hilarious. It’s going down well. It’s —‘Garven’s enthusiasm,’ says Elsa,
‘tells me a lot about Garven. I wonder what the people who licensed the play
are going to do when they find out that it’s being presented as an obscene show?’
‘It
isn’t obscene,’ says Garven. ‘That’s to say, Peter Pan’s a deeply relevant
psychological problem.’
‘There’s
going to be trouble,’ Elsa says.
‘What
can they do?’ says Paul. ‘They’ve licensed the play. I went into this angle
with Pierre when I put up the money. The trustees don’t have any casting
rights. All the novelty of the interpretation. is in the cast. Nothing else is
changed. Old people instead of young.’
‘Well,
we haven’t seen it all yet,’ says the Princess.
‘It
can’t go wrong,’ Garven says emphatically to Elsa. ‘I’m wild about it. I’m …’
He stops as he sees her shadow moving beside her as she turns to adjust more
comfortably her voluminous white furs. Paul, noticing Garven’s sudden silence,
looks towards Elsa, too. He sees that she has on. her lap the large crocodile
leather bag. ‘I thought you said that bag was Poppy’s,’ he says.
‘So it
is.’
“Well,
it’s unsuitable. Vulgar. But anyway, you just don’t look at all right, so what
does the handbag matter? It’s been embarrassing for Garven and me. Let alone
Pierre.’
The
lights dim — Elsa settles back in. her seat among the white fox furs and Garven
once more shifts his mesmerised stare to watch the curtain rising.
The
scene is the traditional Never-Never Land, the island of Lost Boys. Garven
breathes heavily with psychological excitement as Lost Boys of advanced age
prance in fugitive capers with the provocative pirates, then hover over the
crone Wendy. Enter, Peter Pan. At this point Elsa stands up and starts throwing
squelchy tomatoes one after the other at the actors. One soft tomato after the
other she brings out of the big crocodile bag. The tomatoes land fairly
accurately. Her principal aim seems to be Peter Pan played by Miles Bunting, on
whose head Elsa lands two large tomatoes, and on whose retreating back she
lands one.
The
curtain. is urgently brought down, and meantime a certain pandemonium has
broken out. A man behind Elsa climbs over the seat and pulls at her hair. A
woman clutches Elsa’s jewelled necklace. Garven is trying to drag the Princess
away from the scene while Paul is doing his best to explain to Elsa’s attacker
that his wife is of delicate temperament.
Suddenly
out of nowhere, as if wafted through the air like Peter Pan. and Tinkerbell
themselves, the police
Like you’re free and I’m free.’
Elsa,
settling in her seat, lets her white foxes fall from her shoulder.
‘Those
jewels real?’ says someone.
Princess
Xavier, who has been settled with difficulty in her seat between Garven and
Paul, now makes further difficulties for them by rising. She turns to the
audience and calls out, ‘Our jewels are as real as you are.’
This
wins further applause.
The
Princess allows herself to be helped back into her seat, complaining, ‘We’ve
been far-out longer than they have.’
A man
slinks down the aisle, and takes a flash picture of the group of four. Paul
starts with fright. Garven looks fiercely at Elsa. But the house has filled and
the hubbub becomes a murmur. Soon a hush falls and the curtain rises.
‘It’s a
crime to do this to a little kids’ entertainment,’ someone says after the
first act. ‘It’s sick.’
‘Sick
is interesting. Sick is real.’
All the
same, laughter has arisen., has roared and has filtered away to silence again. and
again during the first act.
‘I find
it a bit baleful,’ says the Princess. ‘It’s a great idea,’ says Garven. ‘It
gives you another dimension, seeing all those old hands. Peter Pan was really
good when. he flew in.. It must have been a strain on the old fellow. I must
say it was hilarious. It’s going down well. It’s —‘Garven’s enthusiasm,’ says Elsa,
‘tells me a lot about Garven. I wonder what the people who licensed the play
are going to do when they find out that it’s being presented as an obscene show?’
‘It
isn’t obscene,’ says Garven. ‘That’s to say, Peter Pan’s a deeply relevant
psychological problem.’
‘There’s
going to be trouble,’ Elsa says.
‘What
can they do?’ says Paul. ‘They’ve licensed the play. I went into this angle
with Pierre when I put up the money. The trustees don’t have any casting
rights. All the novelty of the interpretation. is in the cast. Nothing else is
changed. Old people instead of young.’
‘Well,
we haven’t seen it all yet,’ says the Princess.
‘It
can’t go wrong,’ Garven says emphatically to Elsa. ‘I’m wild about it. I’m …’
He stops as he sees her shadow moving beside her as she turns to adjust more
comfortably her voluminous white furs. Paul, noticing Garven’s sudden silence,
looks towards Elsa, too. He sees that she has on. her lap the large crocodile
leather bag. ‘I thought you said that bag was Poppy’s,’ he says.
‘So it
is.’
“Well,
it’s unsuitable. Vulgar. But anyway, you just don’t look at all right, so what
does the handbag matter? It’s been embarrassing for Garven and me. Let alone
Pierre.’
The
lights dim — Elsa settles back in. her seat among the white fox furs and Garven
once more shifts his mesmerised stare to watch the curtain rising.
The
scene is the traditional Never-Never Land, the island of Lost Boys. Garven
breathes heavily with psychological excitement as Lost Boys of advanced age
prance in fugitive capers with the provocative pirates, then hover over the
crone Wendy. Enter, Peter Pan. At this point Elsa stands up and starts throwing
squelchy tomatoes one after the other at the actors. One soft tomato after the
other she brings out of the big crocodile bag. The tomatoes land fairly
accurately. Her principal aim seems to be Peter Pan played by Miles Bunting, on
whose head Elsa lands two large tomatoes, and on whose retreating back she
lands one.
The
curtain. is urgently brought down, and meantime a certain pandemonium has
broken out. A man behind Elsa climbs over the seat and pulls at her hair. A
woman clutches Elsa’s jewelled necklace. Garven is trying to drag the Princess
away from the scene while Paul is doing his best to explain to Elsa’s attacker
that his wife is of delicate temperament.
Suddenly
out of nowhere, as if wafted through the air like Peter Pan. and Tinkerbell
themselves, the police
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