Funny, high-powered production stretches the limits of a small stage
Even if you’re a wee bit over Peter Pan stuff, which I admittedly am, Peter and the Starcatcher is at least mostly not about Peter but of the world inhabited by the nameless boy he was beforehand. The 2009 play is based on a novel by best-humor-columnist-of-all-time Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. It has a fair number of musical elements, but not so much as to be classified as a full-on musical.
The script is a runaway train of confusing and sometimes seemingly unrelated plot elements, particularly in the first act. I saw the Town Hall production of this in 2018 and walked away fairly certain I’d never see it again. But Cherry Creek Theatre is one of my favorite small companies, and I was curious to see how they handled it.
The plot revolves around two ships — the speedy Wasp and the slow Neverland — setting sail from England for the mythical kingdom of Rundoon. One has a trunk with a treasure from Queen Victoria while the other sails with a decoy trunk. One is helmed by the British Navy whilst the other turns out to be crewed by pirates. What ensues is a breakneck series of scenes where the ships, their crews and the special cargo are enmeshed, intertwined, confused with one another and endlessly worked over as to all but exhaust the audience into submission — all before intermission.
Rita Maria Aires as Boy | Olga Lopez photo
The show does have a colorful palette of characters that lends itself well to an ensemble cast and director up to the task of breaking them out as individuals. On that score, director Kelly Van Oosbree and the actors succeed, with a number of memorable performances rising above the batty script. As the proto-Hook, Jeffrey Parker is tremendous as pirate leader Black Stache. Keen to tease every bit of humor out of every line, Parker is delightfully over the top as a stupid, grasping man whose every plan seems to go awry. The actor uses every tool in his belt, from wild body contortions to a dizzying array of vocal dips, twists and bizarre utterances that add up to a fully realized head case — someone you might expect to accidentally cut off his hand slamming a trunk lid.
Jeffrey Parker as Black Stache | Olga Lopez photo
I really enjoyed Rita Maria Aires as Boy — or the Kid Who Would be Pan. The actor is petite enough to play a boy, and they do a nice job moving the nameless orphan from a timid punching bag to a fully realized person with hopes, dreams and agency. As the future Mrs. Darling, Evelyn Kunch is a ton of fun to watch as a perky 13-year-old punching above her weight amid a cast of male characters.
Many of the other cast members play multiple characters, with some notable performances. Rob Payo takes on one role as the leader of the island where some of the characters wash up. He just kills it as Fighting Prawn, chief of the Mollusks. With a mix of witch doctor, reggae dude and maybe the Un-Cola guy in that old 7-Up commercial, Payo is having a great time with the character, and he brings the audience right along.
Rick Long plays Mrs. Bumbrake and others | Olga Lopez photo
Also bringing his A-game to the show is Carter Edwards Smith as Smee, who makes the most of every moment on stage and becomes a crowd favorite with his disarming idiocy. Another is Rick Long as Mrs. Bumbrake and others — including one particularly wacky bit as a giant mermaid named Teacher who helps Peter find his Pan surname. As Bumbrake, his goofy romance with Alf (David Kincannon) is an ongoing bit that produces a lot of laughs.
Traffic management with this large cast on the small stage at the Mizel Center’s Pluss Theatre is no small feat, and Van Osbree manages it well. Using the aisles and the wings, the actors fly in and out without a hitch (or so it appears), and the multiple scene, set and costume changes are all well executed.
As Artistic Producer Susie Snodgrass noted in her opening remarks, Peter and the Starcatcher is the largest show CCT has ever produced. I couldn’t help wondering, though, how much of the confusing two-ships, two-crews things could have been addressed on a larger stage with a set that better defined the two sides the their inter-relationship. Models of The Wasp and The Neverland bopped around on occasion didn’t help much. On the other hand, it’s mostly moot by the much better Act Two, where the action moves to other locales.
I’m not entirely sure whether to call Peter and the Starcatcher a show for kids or adults or both. I think anyone under 10 would be baffled by the plot but still entertained by all the humor and running about. At over two-and-a-half hours, though, it’s a longish show that would be a challenge to sit through for the younger set. As for adults, it’s a very funny show with a kooky plot that can be hard to keep up with, but if you’re a fan of the Peter Pan universe, it may be right up your alley.
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