Edward Tournier News

Brilliant direction and unforgettable performances compensate for uneven script in Disney's more grown-up play with music.

"Peter and the Starcatcher" catches more than starstuff with its mosaic style and resourceful staging. Directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and writer Rick Elice manage to use ladders, flashlights and other pulled-together, everyday items to soar the magic to heights stronger and more believable than ever. Clap if you believe!

Before there was Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy and those two annoying little brothers--there was just a boy who didn't have a name, a few orphan friends, a 'starcatcher' named Molly and a ship named Neverland...

Local author Ridley Pearson, along with Dave Barry, crafted an interesting 'prequel' to the story of Peter Pan with their entertaining novel PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. The stage production of this tale, written by Rick Elice, is a similarly imaginative effort that utilizes a relatively small cast, with just about everyone playing multiple roles, and a frenetic pace that captures the same qualities that distinguished the original work. An engaging touring production with a very talented cast played the Peabody Opera House this weekend (March 7-9, 2014), and it was well worth the trip.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER has all the right ingredients to be a standout production: a solid literary foundation and engaging storyline, a top-notch cast of actors, and some truly inventive props and staging. Unfortunately, these elements never quite come together as cohesively as they should, and the overall presentation suffers from the script's lack of consistent focus.

The five-time Tony Award-winning musical Peter and the Starcatcher makes its Twin Cities premiere in a limited engagement March 11-16, 2014 at the Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave.) in Minneapolis. Written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award?winner Roger Rees and Tony Award?nominee Alex Timbers, tickets are available now in person at the State Theatre Box Office, online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, by calling 1.800.982.2787 or visiting a Ticketmaster Ticket Center. It is presented by Hennepin Theatre Trust as a part of its 2013-14 Broadway Across America-Minneapolis Season.

Ropes become rooms and oceans, people become doors, gloves become birds and some very clever staging, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the national tour of Peter and the Starcatcher, the five-time Tony Award winning musical play written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award?winner Roger Rees and Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers, from today, January 28 to February 16, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Press opening night is Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the national tour of Peter and the Starcatcher, the five-time Tony Award winning musical play written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award?winner Roger Rees and Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers, from January 28 to February 16, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Press opening night is Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

The five-time Tony Award-winning 'Peter and the Starcatcher' opened on December 4, 2013, at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center. Written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice('Jersey Boys,' 'The Addams Family') and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nomineeAlex Timbers ('Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'), 'Peter and the Starcatcher' continues through January 12, 2014. Click below to watch interviews from the opening night party!

The five-time Tony Award-winning 'Peter and the Starcatcher' opened last night, December 4, 2013, at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center. Written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice ('Jersey Boys,' 'The Addams Family') and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers ('Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'), 'Peter and the Starcatcher' continues through January 12, 2014. Check out a look back the cast take their bows, and the red carpet arrivals below!

The five-time Tony Award-winning 'Peter and the Starcatcher' opens tonight, December 4, 2013, at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center.

The five-time Tony Award-winning "Peter and the Starcatcher" opens December 4, 2013, at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center (preview December 3). Written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice ("Jersey Boys," "The Addams Family") and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers ("Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson"), "Peter and the Starcatcher" continues through January 12, 2014.

Swashbuckling adventure and hilarious hijinks await patrons of SHNSF's Curran Theatre with 5-time Tony Award winning Peter and the Star Catcher, which has sailed into San Francisco for a magical turn before returning to Neverland or other parts unknown. This clever prequel to J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter and Wendy is powered by starstuff (which figures prominently in the play) and a high-energy cast that is the tightest ensemble I've seen in a long time. Good, old-fashioned storytelling, reliance on late, 19th century stagecraft -- and two directors (Roger Rees and Alex Timbers) whose imaginations were allowed to run amok -- have created a wildly enjoyable and enchanting show. Playing now through December 1, Peter and the Star Catcher is one show you will definitely want to see.

Dear Readers, have you lost that innocence and exuberance of youth? Are you no longer fascinated by the wonder of flying boys, singing mermaids and maniacal pirates? Well then I have the cure for you. If you're a kid at heart or just a kid then you need to get out and catch the current touring production of 'Peter and the Starcatcher' at the Moore Theatre brought to you by Seattle Theatre Group. Not only will it revitalize your sense of childlike wonder but it's also one of the best all around pieces of theatrical genius you could ask for.

Full casting is set for the five-time Tony Award-winning 'Peter and the Starcatcher,' opening December 4, 2013, at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center. (Preview on December 3.) Written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice ('Jersey Boys,' 'The Addams Family') and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers ('Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'), 'Peter and the Starcatcher' continues through January 12, 2014.

Las Casas Foundation in San Antonio, Texas has a new educational program 'Behind the Scenes' and it is lifting the curtain on Broadway shows and more to spark a love of theater in a group of San Antonio teens and thanks to a special workshop.

As the British Empire was approaching it's zenith, J. M. Barrie struck a long-lasting cultural nerve with his character of Peter Pan. The imaginative boy first appeared in the 1902 novel The Little White Bird. In 1904, the character's most beloved adventure premiered as a play entitled THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T GROW UP. 111 years later audiences are still fascinated by the character. Currently, in Houston, the highly lauded and award garnering PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, a prequel to the Peter Pan story we all know, is sending Houston audiences on fanciful flights of whimsy.

On this edition of 'In Focus', host Eden Lane spends time at the 'press day' for for the 1st National Tour of Peter and the Starcatcher, launching in Denver. Lane meets with Donyale Werle, who won the 2012 Tony Award for her Peter and the Starcatcher set design. Donyale is a leader at the Broadway Green Alliance and has gained much acclaim for her use of salvaged materials in her sets. Click below to watch the interview!