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J. M. BARRIE'S MARY ROSE Author(s): LEONEE ORMOND Source: The Yale University Library Gazette, Vol. 58, No. 1/2 (October 1983), pp. 59-63 Published by: Yale University, acting through the Yale University Library Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40858827 . Accessed: 06/11/2013 09:54
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<*>J.M. BARRIE'S MARY ROSE BY LEONEE ORMOND

Barrie of the BeineckeLibrary's extensive Amongthe treasures and a number versions are two manuscripts oftypescript holdings at theHaymarket first ofhiswell-known Rose, playMary performed manuin London on April22,1920.Barrie headed thefirst Theatre matter "a and the was the of strange subject play mystery,"1 script married womanoftwenty-four, him.Theheroine, a happily evenfor an islandin theHebridesand returns twenty-five disappearsfrom in and unconscious ofthepasherself both later, unchanged years have reconand her become While her time. husband of parents sage the who was ciledto hermysterious loss, herson, Harry, apple of as a ghost hereye, has runaway to Australia. MaryRose survives When her the for lost house orspirit, Harry baby. through searching shefails torecogcomesbackas a grown soldier, man,a demobilized nize him,but his presencereleasesher,and at theend oftheplay her. theislandagainreclaims Barrie revealthewayinwhich and typed versions The manuscript on and developedtheplayovera periodofseveral worked months, a somewhat Thevariant texts 1920. toApril from present August1919 ofa number notleastbecauseoftheexistence chronology, confusing Barrie' s ofcarbon Asquith. LadyCynthia secretary, by copies,typed Edition of1924, theFrench's Thereare two publishedtexts, Acting and theUniform towhich someofthetypescripts clearly correspond; Editionof the same year,forwhichthereis a separatetypescript. Barrie seemstohaveused thoseunon thisfinal Whenworking text, version ofActOne, to hand: thefifth marked carbons mostreadily ofActThree. thesecondofActTwoand thefirst and theFrench's theoriginal Between Edition, Acting manuscript anda corresponding ofabouta third, was a reduction ofthetext there In the in dramatic Some socialdetailwas removed. increase clarity. as were a earliest given background MaryRose's family manuscript, theattention thedisappearance ofwhich localsquires, helpstofocus inthestory. Several elements oftheaudienceon thestranger changes
l.Firstms.,ActI,p.l.
Gazette YaleUniversity Library 1983 October 59

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and theFrench's text is close relateto a playin rehearsal, obviously in the tothat evolved theater. finally The Uniform has Edition, publishedby Hodder and Stoughton, and extended directions is intended for more stage primarily reading. in tonethanearlier itis markedly darker of versions Begunin 1924, theplayand clearly showstheeffect on theplaywright ofthedeath at Oxofhis adoptedson, MichaelLlewelyn Davies, who drowned in thesummer The final ford of1921. revisions to Mary a play Rose, written and performed the last two of are Michael's life, during years with associated hismemory. oftheplaywererevised Someparts left relagainand again/others Barrie in the most atively unchanged. experienced difficultydrafting first and the the moments of and In second third the acts. act, closing whichthere are sixtypescript act,for versions, early partofthefirst thelong-lost enters thedrawing roomofhis old home son, Harry, withthefrightened The Harry ofthefirst housekeeper. manuscript was to havebeen fifty, "hard-bitten" in appearance, a manwho has in life, had to struggle butwho is now of"comfortable means."2 By thethird actofthissamefirst has become manuscript, Harry percepa photograph ofhis fiance, altibly younger, showinghis mother in the made is without comment. the second though change age By Barrie has halvedHarry's declared both manuscript, age,suppressed thefiance and thecomfortable himfrom means,and demoted captaintoprivate. As he worked on this tried tomakeHarry scene,Barrie soundmoreconvincing, moreabrasive and moredisturbing. In one oftheplay,his Australian characteristics are emphasized typescript the introduction of and noneofthem by colloquial slangexpressions, the into texts. With his incorporated published roughspeech and masculine would have been a in manner, Harry recognizable figure a soldier who had survived theGreatWarbutwho was coars1919, ened bytheexperience. He provides thestrongest possiblecontrast withtheelfin and the Rose love in invested her Mary babyson. The the drama of is achieved this exposition through veryprominent a partof the tragedy whichBarrie foundinherent in thereirony, ofmothers with their sons. lationship Whilethevariant versions ofActOne provide an insight intothe of dramatic the most problems dialogue, significant changes are thosewhichoccurtowards theend ofActTwo and ActThree.The
2. First ms.,ActI, p. 2.
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in second act, set on the island in the Hebrides,and culminating the heart the while the third Rose's is of Mary play, disappearance, actendswith theheroine's return from totheisland.Finally released thesearch herson,shestepsoutinto thenight. for a transisincebothinvolve Thesetwoepisodesareclosely related, tion fromthe everydayworld into another.Barriedescribedin howthesetwodifficult transitions shouldbe stagedirections lengthy revealhimmoving effected. His successive emendations awayfrom and happyplacetoone ofmenace: a visionoftheislandas a cheerful but "perhapsan evil stonewhichthebig islandhad to spew forth couldnotsink."3 Is Audienceshave alwaysrespondedto the play's ambivalence. the is she a Celtic or Rose into simply fairyland, Mary sweptaway fate? The first and malign victim ofan arbitrary manuscript provides In thisversion, theisand previously a startling unguessedsolution. withthatinhabited land turns out to be identical by PeterPan and thelostboys.Atthecloseoftheplay,theheroine (herecalledJoanna) - theydouble hands Peter: kiss or shake with don't off "They goes at beingtogether againon whatwe now realizetobe up withmirth liketwoinordinately Peter's island.Theyclawat eachother gaychildren.He pulls down herhair& putsleaves in it,so thatshe looks and litup inthebackground, 'Thewood' is mysteriously likeWendy. thelaughter ofunfrom musiccomesvaguely it,including exquisite thatall is readyand dances off Petersignsjocularly seen children. she and playing hispipes.In a similar doubledup withmirth ecstasy him.Whenthey havegonewe heartheplop,plop,plop, dancesafter "4 theislandhas gotheragain. that meaning a period Peter Panrepresented Written theLlewelyn for Daviesboys, in Peter Pan retained the Barrie. Had he ofgreat for ending happiness in tone. far the have remained more would Rose, play optimistic Mary and his had cutoutPeter Barrie however, Bythesecondmanuscript, closer tothehauntandwith eachsuccessive he moved island, version, There thecallofthe Edition. Uniform vision ofthe1924 ingand tragic and "horribut "loud" islandin thesecondactis no longer seductive, now representing ble."5Against itthemusicofunearthly sweetness, theheroine's and son,is powerless. loves,herhusband During earthly a musical Barrie was persuaded tointroduce theme, rehearsals, specialwhichis the force ly composedby NormanO'Neill, to symbolize theheroine herfamily. pulling awayfrom
3. Uniform Edition(1924), p. 59. 4. Firstms., Act III, pp. 30-31. 5. Uniform Edition, p. 93.

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The stagedirection at theend oftheplaywas also considerably ala if not with tered, Christian, acquiring religious, specifically overlay eachsuccessive version. Thefirst introduces typescript imagery quite absentfrom the earlier a is manuscripts: "gradually heavenly light castupon herface,and we see herarmsgoingout in an ecstasy of "6 is coming toher. joy.Thegreat glory Another in thethird act concerns uncertainty MaryRose herself. Whenshewanders the is the audience toassumethat house, through she is living or dead? A passage ofdialoguein thefirst manuscript ofthefinal actsuggests a consoling explanation:
MrsEms(Otery): It'san unfortunate young lady. it is. Yes is shehere? Harry: Why MrsEms:Herhusband inthewar,inthenavalbattle. was killed I know. Harry: MrsEms:Her father and mother are too frail to keep house now. Theyare with far friends not from here. living tosee them Butshe- ? Yes,I'mgoing Harry: presently. Mrs Ems: Theytookher withthem but she sometimes slips away and comesbackhere.There's she'salways for. something searching Herson? Harry: MrsEms:So youknow!The poorsoul,there's with her,exnothing wrong aboutthepassingoftime.She thinks he ceptthatshe doesn'tunderstand is here.7

In latertexts, Barrie thispassage. Instead,Harry wiselyomitted learns that Rose is buried in the a fact he treats with Mary churchyard, caution.The heroine, who looks "a little older"in the first manuin thelastactoflater versions as shewas on script, reappears exactly theisland.Barrie no explanation ofwhathas occurred beprovides tweenthetimewhen she comesbackand asks herhusbandabout their sonand herlater existence as a spirit thefamily home. haunting Mostearly reviewers assumedthat shehad diedfrom shock on learnhersonhad grown ingthat up and goneaway.Thisis themost plausibleexplanation, butthere is no evidence itintheplay. for themesof Barrie' s MaryRosedrew together manyof the central each of them interrelated: the of mother and work, child, relationship and in particular theidea oftheghostmother to earthto returning lookfor herbaby;thenarrow veilbetween life and death,orbetween the"real"worldand another, whichmaybe theland ofthechild's and thesadnessoftheparent whenthechildgrows imagination; up,
6. First ofActIII, p. 35. Typescript 7. Firstms.,Actlll, p. 21.

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it. ForBarrie werewoven and thelonging to prevent thesethemes his mother, and hisdesireto his love for intohis personallife;from who had her forthe sudden loss ofhis elderbrother, compensate hisactress who for hisfeeling beenthebest-loved wife, son;through for lefthim foranotherman; and his farstronger feeling Sylvia ofthefive Davies, theidealizedmother boyshe adopted; Llewellyn theloss ofthetwoboyshe lovedbest,George, and, finally, through whosedeathbydrowning intheFirst World killed War;and Michael, so deeplyalteredlaterversionsof the play. MaryRoseis so prothat itis rewith Barrie' s ownstrange concerned psychology foundly overthefluid markable to see themeansbywhichhe gainedcontrol themes oftheplay.In doingso, he notonlyproduced and disturbing butwas able hisaudiences, which togratify a "well-made" playwith which flow below currents the them totantalize byrevealing deeper ofreality. thesmooth surface

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