Why Is Peter Pan Always Played By A Woman?

Tonight, in what has apparently become an annual tradition, NBC presents Peter Pan, live. Although last December's The Sound Of Music Live! was not an unqualified success, at least artistically, NBC made a lot of money on it so they're trying again this year. The selection of Peter Pan seems a little strange to me. It's not nearly as well known as TSOM; in fact, after doing some googling I determined that I've never heard any of the songs in the show and I'm guessing a lot of other people haven't either. Without the built-in audience generated by 50 years of The Sound Of Music in theatres and on TV, video and DVDs, I'm curious to see what kind of audience Peter Pan actually draws.

As I was doing my research I did learn one interesting thing. The character of Peter Pan, a young boy, is almost always played by a woman. Why? Slate.com has the answer:

In his 1979 book, J.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys: The Real Story Behind Peter Pan, English writer and director Andrew Birkin recounts the backstory for the first stage productions. Broadway producer Charles Frohman enthusiastically agreed to produce the play, and he made a couple of suggestions to the author. First, that it be titled, simply, Peter Pan; Barrie’s working title was The Great White Father, which is what Barrie has the Indians call Peter. (That phrase has uncertain origins but was—and is—used by some Native Americans to refer to white leaders.) Second, Frohman asked that, in America, the starring role of Peter be played by his protégé, Maude Adams. Frohman reasoned that a man would be wrong for the part, and if they cast a boy, the other children “would have to be scaled down in proportion.” English law prohibited the use of minors under 14 on stage after 9 p.m. So a woman it was.

I'm planning to watch tonight, at least at the beginning. Last year during The Sound of Music, the most interesting part of the whole event was reading the hilarious tweets bouncing around for the duration of the program and I'm assuming it will be the same tonight. So for now, on with the show!