Admirable Crichton

Sir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937), best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan, was a Scottish author and dramatist whose works have enjoyed frequent revivals in film and on stage. One of his most penetrating and socially critical plays was "e;The Admirable Crichton"e;, which first appeared in 1902 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London. The comical play deals with questions of social hierarchy, and sheds light on a society where rank is established by birth, not by intelligence or ability. Crichton, the main character, is a respectful butler in the house of Lord Loam, quite content with his station in life. However, when he and a group of British aristocrats become stranded on a desert island, a startling role reversal takes place. Less shocking now than to the theatre-going public of 1902, the themes of natural selection and a flawed class-system in "e;The Admirable Crichton"e; are still very relevant today.