When is it that we stop believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy? When does a simple bath towel stop being a Superman cape or a gladiator toga? When does an old refrigerator box, which used to be a fort, an airplane, or a racecar, become just a big box? It’s when we leave Neverland.
When I was a kid, Neverland was the woods at the end of our block. It was sometimes frightening, sometimes exciting, and always magical. As I grew older, I spent less and less time in those woods and lost a little of my Neverland. Then I went to high school and discovered theater. It was as if Neverland came back with a vengeance. When I left high school, I once again lost Neverland. Rent, food, and gas for my car forced me to become “responsible” and leave my childish ways behind....and then my twin nephews were born.
My nephews, John and Michael, were my ticket back to Neverland. Finding buried treasure in our woods, a safari of dragonflies by the river, and a fort made for a king and his knights were just some of the adventures we took together.
Neverland is a glorious place when we allow ourselves a return visit; children often show us the way back. Everytime we wiggle our ears or roll our tongues or hang a spoon on the end of our noses, we make a quick stop in Neverland.
So, as you watch the show tonight, be cautious of the Mr. Darling in all of us which says, “This play is stuff and nonsense, just stuff and nonsense.” Let yourself revisit that place that allowed you to spend an entire afternoon watching ants carry leaves and twigs back and forth from their underground homes or to pretend to be the mom, baking a cake with the EasyBake Oven or to wholeheartedly believe that the dream you had in which you were flying was not just a dream.
We hope you enjoy this return trip to the land of innocence and joy and youth and magic. A place “where dreams are born and time is never planned. It’s not on any chart. You must find it in your heart. Neverland.”
Joe Huber
...and by the way, I still believe in fairies.
Note: I would like to dedicate my contribution to this show to my nephews Michael and John -- my companions on many trips to Neverland -- and to Andrew and Rachel for the return ticket.
