THE LOST GIRL full-length musical by Ben Bonnema & Arianna Rose

[full-length 90 minute musical]
Winner, 2021 Florida Festival of New Musicals
Winner, 2019 Viterbo New Works Festival
Winner, 2015 Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival
Winner, 2015 Players Club Staged Reading, Steinhardt School of Music, NYU
2013 Collaborative Development Program Workshop, Frederick Loewe Theatre, NYC
2024 Finalist (top 5) for Circle in the Square Theatre...
[full-length 90 minute musical]
Winner, 2021 Florida Festival of New Musicals
Winner, 2019 Viterbo New Works Festival
Winner, 2015 Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival
Winner, 2015 Players Club Staged Reading, Steinhardt School of Music, NYU
2013 Collaborative Development Program Workshop, Frederick Loewe Theatre, NYC
2024 Finalist (top 5) for Circle in the Square Theatre School Residency, NYC
2023 Semi-Finalist for Northwestern U American Music Theatre Project
2023 Finalist (top 3) for Florida State University New Musicals Initiative
2022 Finalist (top 20 out of 480 submissions) NAMT, NYC
2022 Finalist (top six) for Syracuse University New Works New Voices Initiative
2020 Finalist, Imagen New Works @ MSU
2012 Finalist, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat

Set in 1909 London against the backdrop of the Suffragette Movement, THE LOST GIRL is about integrating our past into our present and deciding who we want to be moving forward. For whatever reason, no story about Peter Pan has ever focused fully on Wendy and what became of her after the adventures in Neverland. The stories of women, fictional or not, have often been swept aside. But what might it have been like to have fantastical adventures as a young girl, and how might that affect someone as an adult?
In our story, Wendy, shaken by the untimely death of her husband, first tells her daughter Jane the Neverland stories as escapism, pure fiction. But each sibling begins to experience strange and vivid memories, forcing the question - could it all be real?
John, the eldest, is against all talk of it, going so far as to seek full custody of Jane when he thinks Wendy is losing her mind. Michael, the youngest, tries to keep the family together, but is unsure what to do with his memories of flying. Tootles, the adopted Lost Boy, has always harbored a secret love for Wendy. It’s everyone against John, until he, too, finally remembers their childhood adventures. With it, the pain of remembering that Wendy always left him behind. He and Wendy must figure out how to salvage their adult relationship, amidst everything that came before.
The show plays with the contrast between the harsh realities for women in the Edwardian age and the freedom Wendy felt with Peter Pan. Neverland is only present on stage through characters’ memory, and the audience is never quite sure - until the end - if any of it truly happened. By the time Peter does come back, he is no longer the salve she wanted him to be; he isn’t able to fix anything. It is largely through the influence of the suffragettes that Wendy is able to decide what kind of a woman she will be.
With a lush, orchestral score that utilizes harmony both adventurous and accessible, THE LOST GIRL examines how loss colors our lives and galvanizes us to change. Ultimately, it’s is about reclaiming the right to have adventures at any age.
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THE LOST GIRL full-length musical by Ben Bonnema & Arianna Rose

Recommended by

  • Katherine Varga:
    22 Feb. 2019
    Just when I thought I was tired of Peter Pan spin offs, I was proven wrong by a staged reading at Viterbo University. "The Lost Girl" completely transported me. The book and score blend seamlessly in telling the irresistible story of Wendy and Jane. The use of the Suffragette Movement and the rich family dynamics remind audiences that you don't need to go to Neverland to find danger, adventure, and magic.

    I went on an engaging and emotional journey just watching a workshop rehearsal - I would love to see how this piece soars with a full production.

Character Information

  • WENDY DARLING ANDERSON
    30s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Female
    Warm. Spirited. Practical but still full of wonder. A loving mother and recent widow. In the memory scenes, she plays ages 12-14. --Legit Soprano (D4-G5) – Not pop/Belt
  • JANE ANDERSON
    9,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Female
    Wendy’s daughter. Smart & inquisitive. A daddy’s girl who is lost without her father.
    ---Child-like Mezzo (D4-F#5)
  • JOHN DARLING
    30s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Male
    A buttoned-down lawyer with Victorian mores. In the memory scenes, he plays ages 10-12.
    ---Baritone (C3-F4)
  • MICHAEL DARLING
    20s-30s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Male
    Idealistic. Restless. Has a special bond with his niece Jane. In the memory scenes, he plays ages 4-6.
    ---Tenor (C3-A4)
  • TERRENCE (a.k.a. TOOTLES)
    30s-40s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Male
    Former “Lost Boy,” adopted by the Darlings. Shy, a bit bumbly, hopelessly in love with Wendy. Inept judge. In the memory scenes, he plays ages 11-13.
    ---Baritone (E3-F#4)
  • MURIEL MATTERS
    20s-30s,
    Any Race/Australian
    ,
    Female
    The Australian suffrage leader and public speaker. Spitfire of a woman.
    ---Full-Bodied Alto (G3-D5)
  • PETER PAN
    child,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Any gender
    12. Energetic, impish child with a bit of a dark side.
    ---Tenor (C#3 – G4)
  • SYLVIA PANKHURST (also plays PIRATE GIRL/ENSEMBLE)
    20s-30s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Female
    The daughter of the controversial suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst and a leader of the movement in her own right.
    ---Soprano (E4-A5)
  • MAISIE GREEN (also plays PIRATE GIRL/ENSEMBLE)
    teens-20s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Female
    A young participant in the suffrage movement. Strong acting role.
    ---Any vocal range
  • LIZZIE BERRIDGE (also plays PIRATE GIRL/ENSEMBLE)
    teens-20s,
    Any Race/British
    ,
    Female
    A young participant in the suffrage movement. ---Any vocal range
  • OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENSEMBLE (SUFFRAGETTES, PIRATES, LOST BOYS, MALE OPPOSITION at RALLY, COMMUNITY)
    any age,
    Any Race/Ethnicity, some British
    ,
    Any gender
    SUFFRAGETTES – played by female-identifying Ensemble members. All vocal ranges. They are featured in the opening scene (THE PROMISE OF TOMORROW), the suffrage meeting scene in Act One (PROMISE OF TOMORROW Reprise), the Suffrage Rally at the top of Act Two (GREEN, WHITE AND VIOLET).

    PIRATE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR and PIRATE ENSEMBLE (female and male-identifying actors) - played by Ensemble Members, they are featured with Jane in the Starfish of the Seas ensemble number and reprises. All vocal ranges.

    NIBS – A Lost Boy. Featured in TOOTLE’S MEMORY and JOHN’S MEMORY.
    SLIGHTLY – A Lost Boy. Featured in TOOTLE’S MEMORY and JOHN’S MEMORY
    CURLY – A Lost Boy. Featured in TOOTLE’S MEMORY and JOHN’S MEMORY
    LOST BOY Ensemble – Featured in TOOTLE’S MEMORY and JOHN’S MEMORY
    MALE OPPOSITION 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - dialogue lines for Males who oppose the Suffrage Rally during the song GREEN WHITE AND VIOLET top of ACT TWO. These lines can be doubled up as casting dictates.
    STRANGERS 1, 2, 3 – at Top of Act Two. Played by Ensemble Members. No singing for these characters.
    COMMUNITY ENSEMBLE – (male and female identifying actors). They are in the Suffrage Rally at the top of Act Two (GREEN, WHITE AND VIOLET).
    HUMAN SHADOWS – movement-oriented, in JOHN’S MEMORY in Act Two. Shadowy figures of Neverland.

    Writers’ Notes on Casting:
    -The roles of JANE and PETER may be played by children or adults.
    -The ensemble can be of any size.
    -We encourage all kinds of diversity in casting.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Viterbo University New Works Festival
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Stage Theater Neue Flora “New Work Series", Hamburg, Germany
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    NYU Players Club (affiliated with Steinhardt School of Music, NYU)
    ,
    2015
  • Workshop
    ,
    Buck Hill Skytop Music Festival
    ,
    2015
  • Workshop
    ,
    CDP
    ,
    2013
  • Reading
    ,
    NYU Tisch School of the Arts
    ,
    2012