Review: Theatre Raleigh's PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

Loosely based on Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson’s 2004 novel, Peter and the Starcatcher upends the classic story of how a miserable young orphan became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up, otherwise known as Peter Pan. It begins when he and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. While at sea, the boys are discovered by Molly Aster, a precocious young Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that a trunk’s precious cargo in their ship is a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands.

10 years ago, one of the very first shows I reviewed for BroadwayWorld was a non-equity tour of Peter and the Starcatcher. The now-defunct North Carolina Theatre presented it for a week-long engagement. I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Although having just revisited my review, I was amazed to see how far I’ve come since then regarding my skills. There’s definitely aspects I would approach a lot differently if I was writing it now. Yet as Aaron Sorkin once said, “Screenwriters are the opposite of athletes, they get better with age.” The same could be said of any writer in general.

Revisiting the play itself through Theatre Raleigh’s current production was interesting. I remember from my first time seeing it how Rick Elice wrote a very amusing script. Among the clever things about it is that he has each cast member provide narrations at certain points. Although there were other parts I literally did not remember, especially in the second act which I won’t spoil. This may not be a musical, but the underscore by Wayne Barker, performed live by a small band, is wonderful in addition to a few fun songs sprinkled throughout the show.

Under the direction of Jessica Boevers Bogart, she has everything staged on a cleverly designed basic unit set from Kevin Judge that is put to great use. As usual, the play is produced on a small budget for a fantasy. Yet in a “less is more” approach, this allows Bogart to be much more creative than she would’ve if she were working with all these multi-million dollar special effects. Her direction comes off as imaginative this well in addition to being very well paced. The movement from choreographer Tim Malboeuf is very precise. The lighting designed by Riva Fairhall comes across as effective. Joseph Shrope’s costumes are all nicely put together.

Everyone in the 12-person ensemble (many of whom play multiple roles) does such excellent work. Giancarlo Santiago really sells his character arc as he goes from a nameless orphan to eventually becoming the hero we all know as Peter Pan. He may be a college student in real-life, but he still comes off as believable playing a 13-year-old on stage. The same can be said for Gracie Bryant, who also gives quite a strong-willed performance as Molly. David Furr, a Broadway vet who earned a Tony nomination for the 2016 revival of Noises Off, is so deliciously over the top as the villainous pirate chief, Black Stache.

A decade after seeing Peter and the Starcatcher in a large venue like Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, seeing it in a more intimate venue like the De Ann St. Jones Theatre is a whole other level. It proves to be much more immersive as the actors enter and exit through different corners of the room throughout the night. Not only that, but the audience can feel even closer to the characters this way. Similar to what Wicked is to The Wizard of Oz, this takes a classic tale everyone knows, does its own prequel origin story, and perfectly ties it together seamlessly. As the summer season begins, this is such an appropriate play to present at this time of year. A perfect show to take the family to.

Theatre Raleigh's production is currently running through June 22nd. For more information, click here.