Review: PETER AT THE STARCATCHER is magically enchanting at Stand Performing Arts

Peter and the Starcatcher 

Written by Rick Elice  

Music by Wayne Barker 

Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson 

Produced by Stand Performing Arts

Directed by Camryn Byerly 

Music Directed by Ashley Grether

Audience Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes (15-minute intermission)
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not available 
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not available
ASL Showing: Not available 
Sound Level: Comfortable
Noises or Visuals to Prepare for: nothing of note

Reviewed by Stacey Simpson Calvert

“Things are only worth what you’re willing to give up for them.” — Molly

I was in the audience on opening night for Peter and the Starcatcher at Stand Performing Arts, for the inaugural production in their new performance space in Keller. The play is a fantasy/adventure story that serves as a prequel to the Peter Pan story that we are all familiar with. It has music in it and yet is not a musical. 

The storyline is charming and inventive but somewhat complicated, especially in the first act as we are getting introduced to the many characters and their motivations. So I will summarize a bit to help any who are unfamiliar with the play. At the beginning, three orphans played by Eric Hilsinger (the nameless, friendless Boy who later becomes known as Peter), Zachary Krause (pompous, yet cowardly Prentiss), and Alexander Krause (dim, food-obsessed Ted), are sold off by the cruel schoolmaster of the orphanage (Tanya Stuart). The boys are tossed into the hold of a slow ship called The Neverland, which is being captained by the sinister Bill Slank (Lindsay Huffman). They are bound for the remote kingdom of Rundoon. The boys are told that they will serve as assistants to a king, but they later realize that they are meant to become crocodile food.

Meanwhile, on a fast ship called The Wasp, Queen Victoria (God save her!) has ordered Lord Aster (Zach Huffman) to go to Rundoon on a secret mission. Aster sends his adolescent daughter Molly (Riley Terry) and her hilariously hairy (and quite alliterative) nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake (Eric Fitzhugh), on the Neverland ship because he believes it is more likely to safely reach Rundoon. The Wasp is then taken over by a band of pirates led by the notorious Black Stache (Logan Beutel). You’ll instantly see where this moniker comes from! Due to Slank’s greed for treasure, there is a mixup of two identical trunks between the two ships, which leads to a chase and a later confrontation between the passengers.

Molly befriends the orphaned boys on The Neverland and becomes a sort of mother figure to them, reading them bedtime stories and teaching them lessons in leadership and caring about something larger than oneself. As the story unfolds, we learn how the Peter Pan we now know and love came to receive his name, why he decided to stay a boy forever after being constantly disappointed by adults, and how he learned to fly. And we start to piece together how Mrs. Darling, Wendy, Tinkerbell, and Captain Hook entered Peter's life.

The rest of the story involves Peter and Molly saving each other’s lives, Ted’s quest to open a pineapple, everyone trying to evade a menacing crocodile, Peter receiving ancient mermaid wisdom from Teacher (Lily Alley), learning about the mysterious qualities of “starstuff,” and a band of fierce and bloodthirsty islanders called the Mollusks, led by their king Fighting Prawn (Julie Alley), a formerly enslaved sous-chef who hates all things British but apparently loves Italian cooking as a defensive tactic and a form of expression (I may start using "Lasagna!" as a battle cry myself).

The set designed by Renee Norris and Cameron Byerly is minimalist and chaotic at the same time. Numerous wooden crates serve as props, furniture, entryways, and backdrops and are moved around by the actors on stage to create each scene. Our imaginations fill in the gaps with just a few, anchoring items, such as ships wheels, ropes, and wooden planks. And sometimes the actors use their own bodies to simulate slamming doors and being tossed about by roiling waves. Director Byerly ensures the generously-sized stage is used to the fullest to create the story.

The story is told by the entire large ensemble, with various actors taking on multiple roles and trading the narration back-and-forth. Stand’s eager ensemble were clearly having a great time, filling the stage with a lot of energy and keeping the action moving forward quickly. At times in the beginning of Act I, with so many colorful characters onstage at once speaking short lines one after the other, it could be difficult to discern who was speaking at any given moment. But as the audience got to know the characters and their voices better, this became less of an issue.

Out of the large and talented cast, I would like to mention a few standouts who really added to my enjoyment of the production. Eric Hilsinger, as the boy who becomes Peter Pan, is a very capable young actor who shows us Peter’s journey from a no-name, lonely orphan to the iconic adventurer and main character of epic adventure stories. Hilsinger captured subtleties not often realized by teen actors, such as the nuances of his facial expressions and body posture as he grows from a miserable and starving orphan longing for a family to a more confident, budding leader with his own stories to tell, about to take flight. Riley Terry as Molly Aster was by turns bold, courageous, a proper British miss convinced of Britannia’s superiority, and a scolding pseudo-parental figure. Eddie Fitzhugh as Mrs. Bumbrake, Molly‘s prim nanny, is fantastic in this pantomime dame role. The way he pitches his voice from high to low at unexpected times kept the audience laughing. Beutel as the scenery-chewing Black Stache also kept the audience in stitches, spitting out the character’s constant malapropisms with a fabulously villainous leer and displaying terrific physical comedy chops. The scenes featuring Beutel and Captain Stache’s faithful sidekick Smee (Stephen Devereaux) carrying out their hare-brained schemes (or is it hair-brained?) were delightfully madcap and riotously funny.

I also admired the excellent work done on the props (Eleasha Krause) and costumes (Shannon Lane) that helped bring this fantastical story to life. They created memorable moments such as when shimmering bolts of fabric transformed into ocean waves, as well as the opening of Act II where we were treated to the remarkable sight of a fascinating variety of found/upcycled objects worn as…mermaid seashell bras.

Although they will love the action, the physical comedy, and the various fart noises and fart-related humor, some young audience members may not get all the verbal (s)wordplay, as many of the jokes are based on famous people or events that are not as well known today. And honestly I’m not sure I got them all - they fly fast and furious throughout the show! But all the more reason to go back and see the show again. You’ll be enchanted by the magic of this story - go see it during its limited run through June 21!

On with the show,

Stacey Simpson Calvert