REVIEW: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Is A Whimsical Pantomime Prequel To The Peter Pan Story

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is a wonderfully whimsical evening of entertainment for all ages.  Based on Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s 2004 novel, this stage adaptation by Rick Elice (Playwright) and Wayne Barker (Music) is given an all-new Australian spin by David Morton (Director and Designer).

The premise of the work, which premiered in California in 2009 and had an award winning Broadway run in 2012, is that PETER AND THE STARCATCHER tells Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s imagining of the backstory of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, a character first seen in Barrie’s novel The Little White Bird in 1902 and his West End Play Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904).  Lord Leonard Aster (Alison Whyte) has been commissioned to transport valuable cargo to the mythical kingdom of Rundoon on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s (Hugh Parker) ship The Wasp, a fast frigate, under Queen Victoria’s orders. Aster however takes the extra security measure of sending the trunk of “starstuff”, a substance that has the power to make people’s greatest desires come true, with his daughter Molly (Olivia Deeble), who is travelling with her nanny Mrs Bumbrake (Lucy Goleby) on Bill Slank’s (Paul Capsis) unassuming merchant ship, The Neverland. This subterfuge was a sensible choice as The Wasp is hijacked by pirates led by Captain Black Stache (Colin Lane) but the switch is soon discovered and it is up to Molly and the three orphans that Slank is transporting to sell to the King of Rundoon to ensure that the Starstuff is not stolen.

While the work always was a clever piece of wordplay, even including a rhyming battle, Director David Morton leans even further into the Pantomime genre for his production which incorporates the creative skills from the Dead Puppet Society which is a producer of this work and which Morton sits as Creative Director.  Movement director Liesel Zink ensures there is the requisite degree of slapstick humour and physical comedy which is paired with Casting Director Michael Topple’s selection of a cast from both musical theatre, cabaret and comedy circuits so the performers all have the ability to add nuance to their performances, improvise, and be completely comfortable with chewing the scenery when the fancy takes them. 

Anna Cordingley’s costume design is bold to ensure the characters are easily recognisable, drawing on classic imagery of what people expect 19th century seafarers, pirates and gentry would be wearing while making allowances for conveying that Molly is no damsel in distress, but rather a confident and capable teen ready to take on her role as Apprentice Starcatcher in trousers.  Cordingley connects the work to earlier incarnations of the Peter Pan story by putting the orphan boys, fresh from the orphanage school, in bottle green cardigan jackets, an homage to the traditional styling of Peter in a smock of leaves.   Ben Hughes’ lighting design works with the puppets and the set design to bring the magic one would expect from a story about “starstuff” with illuminated props, puppets and a sea of stars that seem suspended in mid-air across the stage.  The puppets from Dead Puppet Society are a marvel of imagination as the creations often expose the articulation while still holding enough of the form to keep, particularly the animals, as endearing characters. 

Central to the story is naturally Peter, the orphan boy initially without a name who believes all adults are awful.  Otis Dhanji ensures that Peter grows from being quiet and reserved to gaining confidence once Molly has befriended him.  There is an earnestness about his actions that are done because another child trusted him in a quest to defeat the greedy wishes of adults.  As Molly, the child that will grow up to be Barrie’s Mrs Darling, Olivia Deeble conveys that the smart but socially excluded teen is a strong young woman aware of the gravity of the task her father has set her.  To add to the expression that Molly is an extraordinary child, her characterisation has Deeble adding acrobatic elements to her performance to the delight of the audience.

As the villain in the making, waiting on a hero worthy of his challenge, Colin Lane brings a captivating absurdity to Captain Black Stache, a moniker inspired by the historic pirate Blackbeard.  Lane has the necessary stage presence for the bumbling pirate and his ability to improvise and react to the audience adds to the pantomime energy.  Black Stache is supported by Smee performed by Pete Helliar who brings his comedy experience to the work which also includes a degree of live and loose though he is more prone to break character when Lane’s absurdity reaches new levels. 

Balancing out the comedy performers are the musical theatre and cabaret favourites Paul Capsis and Ryan González who both know how to lean into their characters, adding quirky physicality to their roles.  Capsis’ facial expressions as The Neverland Captain Bill Slank and the absurd Hawking Clam are priceless little scene stealers while González’s interactions and reactions increase the camp energy. 

The inclusion of James Dobinson (Musical Director, Conductor, Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Bass), Annie Silvia-McKnight (Violin, Viola, Bass) and Luke Volker (Keyboard, percussion) onstage adds to the energy of the work and reinforces the importance of Wayne Barker’s music in telling the story.  The music is influenced by the Sea Shanties that would have rung out on the decks of the ships and the percussive tones that many naval ships used to work the sails and ropes.  With an ensemble that comes from a diverse background of performance styles, the focus of the music is not as much on the singing but rather the lyrics in keeping with the overall detail put into the dialogue that is liberally peppered with various styles of poetry and wordplay. 

While primarily pitched at younger audiences due to its pantomime styling and subject matter, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is a delightful entertainment for all ages.  Tapping into the childish sensibilities that sit within us all, this work is brilliantly ridiculous and awe inspiringly beautiful at the same time.  A coming-of-age story and a piece of nostalgia, even though it’s a contemporary prequal to the classic story.  Well worth seeing even if you don’t have little ones in tow. 

https://peterandthestarcatcher.com.au/

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