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Review Roundup: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER on Broadway - All the Reviews!

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers began preview performances on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Wednesday, March 28 and opened tonight, April 15th.

The cast, led by Adam Chanler-Berat as Boy, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly and Christian Borle as Black Stache, also features Teddy Bergman, Arnie Burton, Matt D'Amico, Kevin Del Aguila, Carson Elrod, Greg Hildreth, Rick Holmes, Isaiah Johnson, David Rossmer, Betsy Hogg, Orville Mendoza, Jason Ralph and John Sanders.

The new play with music is a retelling of how a miserable orphan came to be The Boy Who Never Grew Up, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER upends the century-old legend of Peter Pan. Were the critics charmed? Let's find out!

For a look back at the show's New York Theater Workshop reviews, click here.

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: The extravagantly resourceful ensemble members of “Peter and the Starcatcher” have almost nothing in the way of modern machinery to support their sky-scraping journeys. On the contrary, there’s little here that couldn’t be found in a theater 150 years ago. What they do have is some ordinary rope, a couple of ladders, a few household appliances, two toy boats and, most important, one another. And they have you, dear theatergoer, because in this ecstatic production you’re as important a part of this process as they are. ... None of this could be achieved if the actors didn’t have a level of synchronicity and reciprocal trust that you associate with master ballet troupes. As the cast members take turns delivering the narrative, the others instantly assume the myriad shapes and guises being described. It’s the most exhilarating example of locomotive storytelling on Broadway since the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby” visited three decades ago, with a cast that included a young actor named Roger Rees.

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press: The Broadway version opened Sunday at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre with the same leads – Adam Chanler-Berat, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Christian Borle – who made it a darling downtown at the New York Theatre Workshop last year. The cast is fantastic and hardworking and collaborative, the sets are weirdly inventive, but its trip north has not done it any favors. ... The Peter Pan prequel was commissioned by Disney Theatricals and ran in a workshop version in 2009 in La Jolla, Calif., before coming to New York. It's supposed to connect with kids and adults alike, but ends up shortchanging both with a frantic, indulgent mess.

Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg News: Borle’s wink-wink performance is so over the top that I half expected him to applaud himself at the end. Celia Keenan- Bolger is delightful as Molly/Wendy, as is Adam Chanler-Berat as the Boy who would be Peter. But “Peter and the Starcatcher” just can’t stop crowing about how clever it is. I wanted to smack it.

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: The Bottom Line - This adaptation of the Peter Pan origin story is rich in antic humor and theatrical invention, but the stardust loses potency and becomes a tad precious on a larger stage.

David Sheward, Backstage: Has "Peter and the Starcatcher," the dazzlingly fun riff on the Peter Pan legend that lit up the intimate New York Theatre Workshop last season, lost any of its luster in a trip to the Never Never Land of Broadway? When this clever and joyous entertainment opened last March, there were immediate murmurings about a Main Stem transfer. There were also fears that Rick Elice's adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's novel would lose its special charm in a cavernous Midtown theater. I'm happy to report that "Peter" has not given up a speck of its fairy dust–infused whimsy. This is a celebration of youth and of the power of theater to inspire children and adults alike.

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