"Peter and the Starcatcher"

There’s a story behind the story, and sometimes the ‘prequel’ is even better than the original. (See: Wicked the story leading up to The Wizard of Oz.) Peter and the Starcatcher, based on a story by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is the story before the orphan boy became Peter Pan and a deserted island became Neverland.

The audience feels a sense of eager anticipation awaiting the sullen, unhappy Boy (played by Adam Chanler-Berat of Next to Normal) to find a name and a home. We want to tell him that it will all be okay and that the boys who follow him will be The Lost Boys and the pesky bird will become Tinkerbell, his guide; they will, ultimately become the family he desperately seeks.

At first, however, it's a bit bewildering. Who's the exuberant swashbuckling poetry-spouting sometimes swishy Captain Black Stache (the flamboyant Christian Borle)? Can that be Captain Hook? Where's Wendy and who's this Molly Astor (Celia Keenan-Bolger), the assistant starcatcher who befriends Peter and rescues him while showing him that it's more important to save others than to save yourself.

Directed and written for the stage by Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys and The Addams Family, along with actor-director-author Roger Rees, the show is a wonderful trip for the imagination. It’s theater at its best where a rope has so many uses, a rubber glove becomes a bird and actors double as doors. Everything can be used as a costume. Whimsical and playful!

Unlike Wicked, this show has no elaborate expensive staging and that's part of its charm. When Peter flies, we use our imaginations, hardly noticing that the other actors are picking him up. Twelve actors play some 50 characters and by the end of the show, all the connections are made to the Barrie story.

Although Peter and The Starcatcher seems like a children’s tale, it has a much darker side. Peter's oft-repeated line about how he hates adults is not unfounded. The adults in the show lie and heap cruelty, especially upon orphan boys. There were many youngsters in the theater and I wonder how much they really understood.

So much more seems intended for the adults: the satire of England, the literary references and stage allusions. Captain Stache often delivers his dialogue in rhyme. He is delighted to find a worthy adversary in Peter so now his rivalry with Peter will become his legacy. Adults really don't fare well here but some do provide lots of humor. Molly's alliterative nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake, provides constant comic relief.

Although the show gets a bit long toward the end, it doesn't matter. Peter and the Starcatcher is wonderful, so you should visit the New York Theater Workshop on E. 4th where it has been extended several times. It’s slated to close soon, so catch it soon while it’s at Off-Broadway prices and you can even park on the street. Use your imagination just like when you were a kid.