Review: Peter
and the Starcatcher
It’s difficult to know what to make of Peter and the Starcatcher, the stage adaptation of the 2004
children’s novel which serves as a Peter Pan prequel. There is a bevy of talent on display, both
onstage and behind the scenes, and the almost endlessly inventive production
flies by at such a brisk pace that only the most impatient theatregoers will be
bored. Yet Peter also contains some maddeningly large missteps that are all
the more intolerable because of the quality that surrounds them.
The plot is a rousing adventure in which Lord Astor and his
daughter Molly attempt to smuggle a chest full of secret treasure out of
England at the behest of Queen Victoria.
Unfortunately, their clever plan involving a decoy ship and fake treasure
runs into complications when a greedy captain decides he would rather have the
treasure for himself. To make matters
worse, a group of pirates led by the maniacal Black Stache simultaneously
attack the convoy, and on top of all THAT, Molly discovers a group of orphans about
to be sold into slavery, among them an unnamed Boy with a strong dislike of
grown-ups (three guesses as to who he becomes).
If all that sounds complicated, it is, and the fact that Peter and the Starcatcher remains
coherent throughout is a testament to Rick Elice’s script and the sharp
direction by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers.
Despite appearing to be a children’s play, Peter never talks down to its audience, and includes something for
people of all ages. For the kids, there
is plenty of physical comedy and even the occasional fart joke, while copious
amounts of wordplay and some clever innuendo will keep the adults in the
audience interested as well. The story
is so interesting that it’s almost a shame it must tie into the preexisting
Peter Pan mythos, as the play’s resolution forgoes a satisfying finale in favor
of setting up Peter’s coming adventure with Wendy.
Despite a strong cast (more on them in a bit), Rees and
Timbers’ direction and the astounding design work are the real stars here. The most complicated piece of machinery used
is a rolling staircase; almost every you see could be found or easily
manufactured by an amateur theatre troupe.
Rees and Timbers use basic items like ropes, umbrellas, and toy ships to
communicate cramped holding cells, tropical rainstorms, great naval battles, flying
cats and even that famed giant crocodile.
Donyale Werle’s simple set design proves endlessly adaptable, and is lit
to perfection by Jeff Croiter’s gorgeous lights. Paloma Young’s costumes give each character
an identity while remaining basic enough to allow the actors to easily
transition between characters, and her mermaid outfits alone justify her recent
Tony win.
In fact, there is so much theatrical invention on display
that it can become distracting. Everyone
involved is so concerned with proving their creativity that the physical
production often takes precedent over the story. Entire swaths are dialogue are rendered
incomprehensible due to the onstage hubbub of actors moving props, miming
scenery, and creating constantly changing stage pictures. All of this visual information is generally
clear enough to prevent confusion, but it would have been nice to see these
supremely talented folk put more faith in Elice’s sterling script and strike a
better balance between the visual and auditory.
As for the actors, they fully commit to their roles and each
other, forming a tight-knit ensemble willing to do anything to support their
fellow performers. They allow themselves
to be used as set dressing, props, and even furniture, while still creating
distinct and even compelling characters.
And if those characters tend towards broadly drawn outlines rather than
fully realized individuals, it’s hard to fault the actors for lack of trying.
As the strong-willed but good-hearted Molly, Celia
Keenan-Bolger emerges as the production’s heart and soul, anchoring the
zaniness of her male co-stars with her no-nonsense yet still hilarious
performance. Arnie Burton is equally
charming as Molly’s nanny Mrs. Bumbrake, and Rick Holmes proves to be an
excellent authority figure as Lord Astor.
Teddy Bergman spends most of the first act playing supporting roles, but
his second act romp as island native Fighting Prawn is so memorable that his
contributions to the show prove essential.
Adam Chanler-Berat does seems a little lost at sea as the Boy who
becomes Peter Pan, although the script doesn’t do him any favors by keeping
Peter passive and uninvolved for a good portion of the show.
And then there’s newly minted Tony-winner Christian Borle as
Black Stache (re: Captain Hook). I
certainly can see why he won, and wouldn’t want to advocate taking the award
and accompanying recognition from an actor who has been so consistently strong in
such different kinds of roles over the years.
But at the performance I saw, Borle’s hamminess and scenery chewing
repeatedly crossed the line from entertaining to distracting, throwing the
focus of the piece and onstage energy completely out of whack. It was almost impossible to concentrate on
the actual story while he was gallivanting about the stage, and yet I’m not
sure any actor would have been able to resist the urge to mug given the
over-the-top applause that met any bit of comic business he even attempted. At one point this was clearly a brilliant
performance; unfortunately, it has now grown so broad that it hurts the show as
much as it helps it.
There is much to admire about Peter and the Starcatcher, including the commitment of the actors
and the unbridled imagination of the creative team. But sometimes less is more, a truism the play
seems to both understand and simultaneously ignore with its shunning of
high-tech stagecraft for an overabundance of low-tech alternatives. A great story gets lost among the frenzy of
creativity on display, and after the platitudes given to the show by the rest
of the theatrical community, I really was hoping for something better. As long as expectations are kept in check, Peter and the Starcatcher makes for an
fine evening of theatre, especially for those who are young or simply young at
heart.
