Viewers who caught last Thursday's broadcast of  'Peter Pan Live!' on NBC were excited to see yet another female assume the role of Peter Pan in the production. Allison Williams' name can now be added to the long list of women who have played the boy who wants "to stay a boy forever."

Stepping back, it's been nearly a decade since Peter Pan was first performed by a lady when Nina Boucicault starred in a London production of the play back in 1904. She was followed by Maude Adams, who led the show in New York.

They are followed by scores of women, such as Marilyn Miller, Pauline Chase, Jean Arthur, Eva Le Gallienne, Mary Martin and more.

This time around, as seen in the premiere on December 4, Allison Williams stepped into the shoes of one of the most iconic children's storybook characters.

The 'Girls' actress told PEOPLE not long ago that she found it funny when her fans commented, and found it "weird" that a woman can play the role of Peter Pan.

"I've been reading and learning a lot about the creating of Peter Pan and it's typically always been a woman," she said, "It's just so funny to me that that became a question."

Williams even admitted to working with Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby, women who have also played the youthful Pan, and said it felt natural for her to play the role.

The reason why women are mostly cast to play Peter Pan was because casting issues and the English law.

During the first production of Peter Pan, the produced Charles Frohman decided to hire a woman to play the role, stating that the other children "would have to be scaled down in proportion" if they hired a man. There was also the fact that English law at the time did not allow for minors to be out past curfew, which is 9 pm.

Hence, it was only logical and practical to cast a woman as the youthful boy, and the role eventually went to Boucicault.

Following the casting of other actresses such as Cecilia Loftus, Betty Bronson and more, choosing a woman as Peter Pan eventually became the standard.

'Peter Pan Live!' premiered last Thursday, December 4, from 8 to 11 pm on NBC.