Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel of the well-known Adventures of Peter Pan in Neverland. It sets up the events of the fairy tale by diving head-first into Pan’s frequent stage interpretations while rigorously parodying their narrative and theatrical conventions.
Staging shipwrecks, chases, monstrous creatures and near-death experiences, Starcatcher uses two minimalist sets with the help from a dozen actors and clever lighting, props and sound effects. Although no one takes flight in a harness, the artistic imagination of scenes is preserved. Whether its model ships being scooted around, ropes moving to represent waves or a couple of bowls with flashlights and a reel of banner flags to create the massive crocodile, there’s more of a family feel to the production.
The narrative is based on a voyage to a remote…show more content… One of my favorites was when Black Stache complained about “splitting rabbits” when the joke is splitting hairs. The silly, conscientious quality should be agonizing, but yet it works, capturing the almost improvised style of a bedtime story. Even when the narrative seems to go nowhere, like in the final moments of the play, there's still a connecting feature of the story that makes the emotions shine through the outrageous banter.
If people don’t have a great imagination, this play might be difficult for some audience members to be involved with. A couple attendees behind me complained how they couldn’t figure out what was going on in each scene. Don’t get me wrong, there were some sound issues that night with microphone feedback and voices projected a bit too loudly for those in the room. Yet there’s a rollicking, even moving quality to this version that reminds us why so many people have found this story so lasting. There might be one too many versions of Peter Pan, but the distinctive Peter and the Starcatcher definitely isn't
