By Jessica Taurins
In this day and age, where the world is undergoing an unbelievable amount of turmoil and heartache, perhaps we need more stories like Peter and the Starcatcher – a 2ish hour tale filled with whimsy, joy, and silliness – to remind us that things might be okay, someday.
Peter and the Starcatcher is an adaptation of a novel series (Peter and the Starcatchers) which was a prequel to the book (Peter and Wendy) which was made into a film (Peter Pan) which was followed by a number of sequels and… it’s a long trail to follow.
But for ease, the important players are Boy (Peter, after a while), a young boy wishing for his freedom, Molly, a young girl seeking independence, and Black Stache, a villain searching for his hero. The story is fairly easy to track from there.
Boy / Peter (Otis Dhanji) is both frustrating and charming in the way only a thirteen-year-old can be. He’s gruff and closed off – in part because, as an orphan, he was beaten every time he spoke up – but his growth throughout the show turns him into the enthusiastic hero we see in Peter Pan. Dhanji is believable in all his moments, falling quickly for Molly (Olivia Deeble) and leaning into the joy of the Neverland Island (when the play finally makes it there).
Deeble as Molly also embodies the same dichotomy – friendless because her intelligence makes her unrelatable to girls her own age, yet so genuinely Good that she picks up a boy she doesn’t know just to save him from the depths of the cold ocean. Deeble is a real delight to watch, she prances across the stage with all the confidence of a girl in her first training bra (which is referenced in the show! I’m not just being weird about it) and shows off her swimming skills in particularly hilarious interpretive dance interludes.
Deeble and Dhanji are really made for each other here, flirting gently with their body language as only youngsters can, the heart and soul of the production all wrapped up in small packages.
As for the rest of the cast, it’s quite impossible to pick standouts. Alison Whyte comes to mind for her dignified-yet-comedic portrayal of the indomitable Lord Aster, a fully-fledged Starcatcher trying to protect the world from Starstuff (pixie dust in the original tale).
Lucy Goleby and John Batchelor are stunning in their roles as Mrs Bumbrake and Alf, a pair brought together by circumstance that stay together forever. Goleby and Batchelor match each other’s energy when together and maintain that passion when they’re apart, Batchelor especially with his second-act bit part as a freshly enlightened mermaid in a glowing lagoon (and Goleby as the puppeteer moving his tail).
The lost boys Prentiss and Ted (Morgan Francis and Benjin Maza) are fabulous offsiders to Peter, representing each side of his needs. Prentiss needs to be a leader, and Ted needs a mother, so the three boys form one perfect family by the end of the show.
Last of the chorus (but absolutely most certainly not least) are Hugh Parker (Captain Scott), a veteran of stage and screen who brings solemnity and levity to ship Captain Scott, and Paul Capsis (Slank, among other roles) who positively gnaws on the scenery each time he steps onstage. Capsis is hysterical to watch even when he isn’t speaking – his expressive face and body language scream his character’s thoughts into the very back of the theatre. A fitting choice for one of Black Stache’s pirate crew.
As for the iconic pirate Hook… no, Black Stache (Colin Lane) and his offsider Smee (Peter Helliar), well, they really do steal the show in more ways than one. Peter and the Starcatcher isn’t technically a pantomime – although some performers turn the melodrama up to eleven – but towards the end of our performance there were a couple of heckles as a kid exclaimed about an upcoming joke. Lane, with all his many years of experience in improv, performance, comedy, and all other useful things, fell out of character briefly to interact with the kiddo, sending the crowd into hysterics. Then, a little later on, he forgot a line. Instead of searching for the line or pausing, he pulled back to old faithful – a little funny rambling – and got himself back on track.
Seeing Lane and Helliar play off each other was extremely fun, although by the end it was a slight bit tiring. For opening night, a little bumbling could be expected, and the two comedians use their long history to maintain professionalism while still ribbing each other. However, if every performance became a Lane-Helliar comedy sesh instead of the show, it could certainly become exhausting.
In addition to acting, each performer often took the role of a puppeteer, to beautiful effect. This version of the show is the brainchild of David Morton, creative director of Dead Puppet Society, and the puppets – almost living creatures – make Peter and the Starcatcher much more than it would be on its own.
The first puppet on stage is a simple cat, four legs and a moving head, but when puppeteered it becomes a real creature almost instantly. Then there are fish, cockatoos, flamingos, butterflies, something like a hundred individual critters fluttering around the stage to set the scene. Sure, I would understand when characters are underwater just from Ben Hughes’ lighting, but seeing a school of glittering, multicoloured fish float past makes the moment iconic.
There’s so much to say about Peter and the Starcatcher that almost all elements overshadow the story itself. Act I explains how each character makes it to Neverland Island, and Act II explains what happens there, which is really all that’s needed. The characters and actors bring every second to life far more than the thin tale designed to get everyone to the right place at the right time.
From mega-mermaids to a glowing, ticking, utterly enormous crocodile, Peter and the Starcatcher is truly a delight to watch. Each element wraps another, then another, until the entire cohesive thing is structured into a creation as free and whimsical as the titular Peter. There’s something in this show for everyone, but especially for anyone who, just like Peter, wants to stay young just a little… bit… longer.
