PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Opens At The Players Guild Of Dearborn

Before Wendy, before he was Captain Hook, before a boy was given the name Peter Pan, and before there was a Neverland, there was a starcatcher Apprentice named Molly, a pirate named Black Stache, and a nameless orphan. Together, they are about to be thrown in a dangerous yet wildly hilarious adventure on the high seas.

An ensemble of actors enters a bare stage and addresses the audience. With a bit of bickering, they welcome us to the world of the play and tell us what's in store: flying, dreaming, adventure and growing up. Before our eyes, they begin to tell the story behind a story we know so well: A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain's cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk's precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates - led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own - the journey quickly turns into a thrilling adventure. And, before our eyes, one miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up - the one and only Peter Pan.

From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair ... and the bonds of friendship, duty and love

Peter and the Starcatcher is directed by Brian Townsend. The production team includes John Sczomak as Assistant Director with Renae Hayward and Diane Kaplan as Co- Producers and Lexie Kaplan as Assistant Producer.

The cast of Peter and the Starcatcher includes Casey Coulter (Boy/ Peter), Meg Pace (Molly Aster), Mike Moseley (Lord Aster), David Culliton (Black Stache), Jacob Dombrowski (Smee), Sebastian Adams (Mrs. Bumbrake), Alexandria Antonelli (Prentiss), Graham Dallas (Ted), Adam Lynch (Slank/ Hawking Clam), Matt Van Houten (Grempkin/Mack/Sanchez/Fighting Prawn), David Zolotarchuk (Alf) and Amy Jones (Captain Scott)

Peter and the Starcatcher runs 8:00 p.m. March 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 and 2:30 p.m. March 10, 17, 24, at the theatre, 21730 Madison in Dearborn.

Tickets are $18 and can be bought at the door, by calling 313-561-TKTS or by going online, to the playersguildofdearborn.org.

Photo by Jennifer Deckert