Mary Rose

The Royal Lyceum Theatre’s upcoming production of J.M. Barrie’s Mary Rose may prove to be surprising for audiences who are only familiar with Peter Pan. The play has had many fans, among them acclaimed actor and director Tony Cownie, who actively approached the Lyceum with the hope of staging the piece.

A self-proclaimed fan of Barrie’s work, Cownie said “It seems to me to be a real surprise that [Mary Rose] hasn’t been done more, which seems like a great reason to do it.” He describes it as a good story for Halloween but also thinks that “it has a lovely charm to it.”

The plot follows a young woman who, on different occasions, manages to mysteriously vanish, only to reappear much later without any sense of time passing. At its heart, Mary Rose is a multi-layered ghost story. And with themes of loss, strained parent/child relationships, hints of the supernatural and the important setting of an island, one can easily see parallels between the works of Pan and Rose.

In talking about his fondness for the piece, Cownie speaks about the atmosphere that the play evokes. Atmosphere is something that greatly excites Cownie, not only as an artist but as an audience member. “I love the ‘other worldliness’ and the depth of Barrie’s writing.” He also describes Barrie’s prose as rich, disturbing and yet comforting while challenging to the material world.

“I think it will be a nice surprise for people who come along and see it.” [Michael Cox]