I'm online less and less these days. Otherwise I'd be on top of this, LOL.
For a history, visit my website,
http://www.peterpanfan.com MUSICAL VERSIONS:
(The play always had music. But actual song & dance/musical theatre styile didn't happen until 1951)
1951 - Leonard Bernstein's semi-musical on Broadway. Some songs were cut because Jean Arthur (Peter Pan) could not sing.
1953 - the Disney film.
1954 - Betty Comden, Adolf Green, Jule Style, Carol Leigh, and Moose Charlap all teamed up to develop a new PETER PAN musical for Mary Martin. Thus, the most popular and well-known musical version of the PETER PAN story. Later on Broadway, Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby were to do this version.
???? (can't remember atm) - Piers Chater-Robinson has a musical version in London that was performed many times.
???? (can't remember atm) - George Stiles & Anothony Drewe (most recently the new Mary Poppins, Honk, Just So, etc.) has a BRILLIANT musical version of the story! Done mostly in Europe and once or twice in the U.S.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle