| Liza | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Liza |
|
First Appearance |
Peter Pan, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904) |
|
Created by |
J.M. Barrie & Ela Q. May |
Origin[]
Liza is the Darling family's maid in Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Unlike Nana, the children's nurse, Liza is not a dog, but an ordinary household maid, though apparently either very young or unusually short. In the stage directions, Barrie remarks that Liza "is so small that when she says she will never see ten again one can scarcely believe her." She is the only servant in the Darling household, but Mr. Darling has taken to referring to her as "the servants," something that Barrie metaphorically facepalms at in the book's narration.
Liza is the one who watches Wendy, John, and Michael Darling when they're sleeping but, fails to stop them from leaving the nursery with Peter Pan.
Notes[]
- Like Louise Stahlbaum, it's a bit part and often forgotten. The program for the original production, however, in which the role was played by Ela Q. May, lists her among the main cast, stating (probably jokingly) she is the "author of the play."
- In an early draft of the play, her name was Helen.
- The Peter Pan play is in the public domain in the United States (as of 2024), but not the United Kingdom. as Special legislation was passed that gave the play a perpetual copyright. The characters, however, are in the public domain (as are the novels).