Peter And The Starcatcher

Play with music (2011)
by Rick Elice
Based on the novel Peter and the Starcatcher (2006)
by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

With Ed Hoopman (Black Stache), Erica Spyres (Molly), Marc Pierre (Boy/Peter), Margarita Damaris Martinez (Grempkin/Mack/Sanchez/Fighting Prawn), Will McGarrahan (Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher), Dale J. Young (Slank/Hawking Clam), Aljjandro Simoes (Smee), Tyler Simahk (Prentiss), Margaret Ann Brady (Alf), Damon Singletary (Lord Aster), Robert Saoud (captain Scott), Matt Spano (Ted)

Featuring Molly (Erica Spyres), a complex series of engagements ensues, with Molly’s adventurer father, Lord Aster (Damon Singletary) going on one ship and Molly going on another, encountering a bunch of orphans, and among them, a particularly interesting one who will emerge as Peter Pan (Marc Pierre). As well, a dastardly captain, Black Stache (Ed Hoopman) figures in, as does a crocodile, setting up much of the action that will later take place in Peter Pan itself.

A little more historically, rather than mythically, seated than the original, this anticipatory version of Peter Pan focuses principally on a girl, Molly, and gathers in the rest of the characters around her, subtly changing the general orientation of the original. It’s a nice switch and gives Molly an originating significance in this rendition that the character of Wendy Darling does not quite have in the original.

Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (who knew Dave Barry did stuff like this?), the approach of the play is avowedly like that of the ten-hour production of Dickens’ The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby adapted by David Edgar and premiered in 1980 in London by the Royal Shakespeare Company then brought to Broadway, an innovation in contemporary story theater in which a rather complex and character-ridden novel was rendered successfully on stage.

Here, the result is interesting, but mixed. The production is not ten hours, but the story is actually pretty involved, and, as a result, it takes some doing to sort out all the scenes and characters and figure out what is going on. Even without knowing exactly what’s happening, it’s all pretty fun. There’s a British music hall quality to the show that contributes to this fun without necessarily depending on conveying the narrative, and that’s fine. But if the goal were to convey the story cogently and straightforwardly, it might require some more doing.

The music here is supportive rather than integral – this is more like a play with musical embellishment rather than like a musical. The most successful number in the show is the opener to the second act which is a full-cast mermaid scene. It’s lively, it’s colorful and it’s lots of fun.

Ed Hoopman, who plays the Captain Hook figure, Black Stache, is the most vividly demonstrative of the characters and he carries the weight of a not-too-awful bad guy very well.

Erica Spyres, always interesting and engaging, does a fine job here as Molly.

The show relies on a lot of topical line-gags thrown into the text, which seems to tickle the audience. Again, this seems like a music hall ploy for getting their attention, and it’s fine as far as it goes.

– BADMan