THE STORY: Peter, twelve, is an orphan—although he clings to the hope that someday his mother and father will come back from the War and find him. Peter has been shunted from foster home to foster home, and now lives with Gramp, not his real grandfather, but a kindly old ex-vaudevillian. Gramp and Peter hit it off well, and Peter begins to enjoy a normal happy life. But when the children at school find out Peter won’t believe that his parents are not be coming back, they taunt him. Peter is filled with rage, but Gramp makes Peter realize that there is always hope for the future. Life should be like a green plant, holding its own and putting out new shoots despite all odds. It is the sense of green—the color of life—which overwhelms Peter’s consciousness…and then turns his hair green. What this does to the town is a lesson in human relations. The green hair must go, and with it goes Peter’s revived belief in people’s goodness. Things are ultimately set right again, with scenes of fantasy and warmth which make the play both a beguiling and touching experience.
