BWW Preview: PETER & THE STARCATCHER at

Theatre Baton Rouge invites you to take a nostalgic trip to Neverland in their current production of PETER & THE STARCATCHER, a prequel to the timeless J. M. Barrie story of Peter Pan, featuring the incorrigible boy who can fly but never wants to grow up.

Based on the popular novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the play provides a backstory for Peter, the Lost Boys and the infamous Captain Hook before Wendy, John, and Michael ever made landfall. It's a whimsical blend of stage craft, humor, and plumb acting roles where the cast play everything from narrators to pirates, from mermaids to sailors, and Neverland creatures. While the play will be approachable for children, this show is more of a "grownup prequel," serving as a chance for adults to revisit their nostalgia for imagination.

"It's very theatricalized," said co-director Jenny Ballard, "It really asks the audience to use their imagination. I think it captures that it's great for kids, great for adults, but there's nothing simplistic about this. There's nothing that isn't highly artistic and at times complicated and interesting."

"That's exactly what it is," said co-director Jack Lampert, who says audience will be enamored with the show and its overall theme of believing. "Obviously, it's as fictitious as Peter Pan is, but it gives you how he becomes Peter Pan. It's a lovely story filled with humor and menace and it is very actor-driven."

"PETER & THE STARCATCHER" extends the background of Barrie's world, acting as a great outlet that allows audiences to experience the origins of the timeless characters. Indeed, the show is very theatricalized as the cast of 12 actors will rely on their skills to play over 100 characters, right down to the doorways. This story will very much appeal to children of all ages, but specifically those young at heart as the cast will take the audience through their memories of childhood.

In this rendition of the boy who never grew up, Peter (Zac Thriffiley) starts out as an orphan boy without a name, and doesn't know his family. Molly (Lauren Smith), the daughter of a British lord, teams up with Peter and two other orphans to prevent a group of pirates from ruining her father's mission from the queen.

"The story is very cleverly written," Lampert said. "Very funny and it's just really interesting how it all factors into creating the Peter Pan story and how it happened; like how Captain Hook became Captain Hook. It gives you all the backstory of how Peter Pan starts, leading up to him flying into Wendy's bedroom. It's a very intricate, tight program."

"It's fascinating to see this boy's journey going from someone who has no identity, no background, no real investment in anybody and becomes this iconic hero by the end of the play all with the help of this young girl and group of orphan boys," Ballard said. "What we will see in this is the beginnings of a boy who is learning how to fly, and learning how to embrace those Peter Pan qualities."

Ballard and Lampert also needed a great cast, which they got. With a dozen or so actors playing multiple roles, some at the literal drop of a hat or an accent, it's exciting to see how the story will play out. Every scene is full of action with the ensemble jumping, leaping and catching each other.

"I could not have asked for a better cast," Ballard said. "Every single actor in this deserves leading man applause. I've never worked with a group of people who embraced something so willingly and who has collaborated as much as this group of actors has. It's been wonderful. I'm sad to see it open. I'm excited to see it open, but this is the first time in a long time I have wanted another week of rehearsal. I'm sad to see it go, it's been very special."

"Everybody in this show has been a hundred percent committed since day one," Lampert said. "There's never been somebody not understanding what we've been doing, or not understanding the storyline. Every one of these actors poured their heart into this process."

This show will also be the second show Ballard and Lampert have worked together on since 2015's "THE MIRACLE WORKER."

"I love working with Jack," Ballard said. "He's so great with things like nuance and with understanding characters. He has such a good eye, and he has such a great, calm, loving presence that I think everyone responds to him well. And shows like this that deal with childhood are really great for him."

"I love working with Jenny," Lampert said. "I love her visions and style and I think that's in mutual agreement. I think we both really complement each other on what we do." This show will also be a special treat for Lampert who choreographed the show and gave it a "vaudevillian" feel to the big number. "PETER & THE STARCATCHER" will also have a lot of music in it. While there are two big song and dance numbers, the show itself will be entirely underscored.

"I feel like this is a play-musical hybrid," Ballard said. "I think it may be the future of theatre."

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