Review: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER at The Royal Theatre

Ahoy Mates! The Royal Young Players, 111 S. Market St., in Benton, have set sail for a swashbuckling adventure that tells the story of PETER PAN before he became Peter Pan in PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, which plays now through Sunday, Sept. 17. These young thespians bring the excitement, romance, and comedy that will keep you laughing through the entire show.  

Written by Rick Elice, based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and Music by Wayne Barker, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER follows Peter (Travis Loftis) and his friends Prentiss (David Garrett) and Ted (Reagan McCartney) where they happen to be on the same ship that Starcatcher apprentice Molly Aster (Harper Keith) is on. When she finds that they are being held in the dark part of the ship, she sneaks them out so they can have proper food. Molly’s father Lord Leonard Aster tells her to keep the magical star stuff safe from Black Stache (Jackson Ray) and Smee (Mark Kennedy), but when Peter is drowning, she gives Peter the chest to float to land. Once on the island, they encounter mermaids, disgruntled natives, and ultimately a home, thus setting us up for the basis of PETER PAN. 

The Young Players are a fantastic group of storytellers. Directed by Tony Clay, with Music Direction by Heidi McCartney, Choreography by Annslee Clay, Produced by Charlotte Sears Hammonds, and Sponsored by Mid-Town Plumbing, this cast blew us out of the water with their comedic timing and stage presence, and the set was elaborate as it always is with The Royal Theatre.  

Harper Keith was the epitome of a heroine worthy of the spotlight. She commanded the stage as well as the inhabitants on it; No matter where you sat in the theatre, Mark Kennedy’s smile could be seen and felt, and you couldn’t help but smile right back at him; Travis Loftis embraced his angst as the boy with no name. You couldn’t help but root for him to become the hero he was meant to be.  

Once again, I will emphasize how much I love a good bad guy. Jackson Ray’s Black Stache was a great impression of Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. I absolutely L-O-V-E-D it! He cracked me up! The charisma that oozed from his character charmed the entire audience. This is by far my favorite role that I’ve seen Jackson portray.    

I love how involved this theatre is with their younger actors. During the beginning of the show and at intermission, they fundraise for the Young Players’ major trips they take each year. The education they get from traveling to New York City and participating in workshops there is immeasurable. For your offerings, they have all sorts of goodies ranging from homemade cookies to freeze-dried candies. They also do a 30 second pass the bucket to collect the audience's loose change. If you live in the area and have budding stars in the making, The Royal Young Players is a great group to join. 

At the end of September, there will be a local workshop for the Young Players given by the super talented D.C Miles on Physical Comedy. This will be an awesome class!    

To sign up for the September Young Player workshop, please click here: 

https://forms.gle/FcwfDaahXDN311UN7 

 To sign up to be a Young Player and pay dues, please click here: 

https://forms.gle/3pUecgJqvZc4SKyV8 

 Taken from Facebook: 

D.C. has performed across the south in academic, community, young artist, semi- and professional productions, many of which are comedic roles. Additionally, he has a vast experience outside the proscenium in chorus work, classical music, and jazz. Education is his number one priority, and he's elated to return to seminar work with The Young Players. D.C. has experience in teaching in public schools in South Arkansas and East Tennessee, working with contract and freelance positions, and also extensive field service work, all primarily in music education. He also operates The D.C. Miles Voice Studio as a Vocal Pedagogue, Instructor, and Coach, having taught one-on-one voice study since 2010. 

Coming up next at The Royal in October: Be prepared to be scared as they turn the theatre into a Haunted Theatre.....or is it one already???? Broadway World may need to dig deeper on that story.