BWW Reviews: Dynamic Cast Brings Magic and Laughs in Le Petit's PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

"There it is, Wendy. Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning!" The most famous directions in the world. Is there a person on the planet who doesn't know how to get to Neverland? Better yet, is there a person on the planet who doesn't wish he or she could go to Neverland? How exciting to go on wild adventures, to fight with pirates, to meet a mix of magical creatures, to never grow up, and most importantly, to fly! This weekend at Le Petit Theatre audiences were asked to leave behind all sense of reality and join Molly Aster on her most important mission.

Molly is a starcatcher. A what? A starcatcher. It is her job to catch "star stuff," a magical substance that has the power to turn you into whatever you want to be, and keep it away from the greedy and evil rulers in the world. Molly and her father set out on separate ships with the mission of taking the Queen's trunk full of "star stuff" to Mount Jalapeño to be destroyed. Along the way Molly meets the lost boys and a crew of pirates led by the infamous Black Stache, who is in search of his perfect hero (aka his perfect nemesis). Spoiler alert: Black Stache later gives one of the lost boys the name Peter... get it?!

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is a show for everyone, but it is especially important for adults to experience. Hear me out. So often as adults we get carried away by the stresses of the real world... our jobs, our families, our finances, our bi-weekly trips to Wal-Mart... and we, no matter how hard we try, cannot remember what it's like to have the imagination and innocence of a child. It is a sad day, to grow up, but it happens to even the most childlike among us. This show is an invitation to allow the impossible to be our reality, to engulf our minds and souls, and to seep into every one of our pores for just a few hours. Children will enjoy the fun, the laughs, and the silliness of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, but adults' imaginations will be revived by it.

This particular production was one of the most unique pieces of theatre I have seen around New Orleans. "STARCATCHER" is not a musical, but there are several songs as well as musical elements that are essential to the telling of this story. The percussionists, who are completely exposed to the audience throughout the entire piece, make the ships creak, the rain pour, and enhance the comedic environment of the show. The scenery was perfectly patched together to create a colorful, nautical, and tropical setting for the story, and the costumes were perfectly fitting for each of their characters.

Among my favorite scenes in the show is at the very beginning of Act II when we meet the mermaids (aka grown men dancing around in shell bras, wigs, and shiny skirts). It never fails to amuse me to see men do such silly things on stage, but this scene actually held a lot of importance to the plot of the show. This is where we learn (as I mentioned before) that the "star stuff" can turn you into what you want to be, just as it turned the fish into the mermaids they wanted to be. Another favorite scene of mine is when Peter and Black Stache have their very first "sword fight"... with umbrellas! It was super exciting to me as a PETER PAN fan to see the beginnings of a lifelong, and very beloved, rivalry. And have I mentioned the humor?! So many jokes. So many antics. So much physical comedy. So much joy.

I would like to extend congratulations to the entire cast and crew of Le Petit's production, and especially to Alex Martinez Wallace and Ashley Santos.

Santos was the perfect Molly. She had just enough girlish charm to win the audience's hearts, but just enough sass and spunk to be the perfect leader and brave heroine of the story. Wallace stole the show by a long shot with his hilarious (dare I say belly busting?) portrayal of Black Stache. I must mention that not long ago I saw Mr. Wallace as Randle McMurphy in The NOLA Project's ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, a character that couldn't be any more different from Black Stache, and yet I was just as convinced that he was a swashbuckling and somewhat idiotic pirate captain as I was convinced that he was a smart-ass maybe/maybe not psychopath. It has been a while since I have seen such diversity in an actor.

Bravo! I can't wait to see what the two of you do next!

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is open at Le Petit Theatre through November 23rd. I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone. For tickets and more information visit http://www.lepetittheatre.com/.

Article may also be viewed here: http://www.nolabackstage.com/#!BWW-Reviews-Dynamic-Cast-Brings-Magic-and-Laughs-in-Le-Petits-PETER-AND-THE-STARCATCHER/ckwv/C6379EE8-6317-41FD-8027-5EFF85F15A04

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