Peter and the Starcatcher review
Hello, internet. Cole here. Last month I saw a play at a building called the November Theater with the rest of my Theatre Arts class. It was called Peter and the Starcatcher, and it followed the events that led up to the first Peter Pan. This month, I’m going to discuss and review the play, as well as explain how it changed my perspective of what a play is and what it ought to be.
For those of you who are unaware of the history of this story, it’s based on a book of the same name by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, which in turn was based off of the book Peter Pan. (If you don’t know what Peter Pan is, you’d better start reading. If you don’t know what a book is… you’ve got a serious problem. Talk to your parents – the outside world probably isn’t as bad as they say it is.) The story begins with two separate ships headed for the nation of Rundoon – one (known as the Never Land) bearing treasure, and the other (known as the Wasp) bearing a decoy. The “treasure” in question is starstuff, a material that falls off of stars sometimes, and it’s being “protected” by Starcatcher Leonard and Molly Aster, who have to make sure that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, as it has the power to turn living beings into what they truly wish to be. However, a band of pirates led by the notorious “Black Stache” captures the decoy vessel, and they’re after the real treasure. While on the ship with the real treasure, Molly encounters a group of three boys, one of them unnamed (Peter), and together they must defend the treasure from the pirates. Other things happen after that, but you’ll have to read the book to find out. You can’t just mooch off of me for every detail. Cheaters.
…Anyway, on to the play.
I felt that the play was very good overall. The actors stayed in character throughout the play, even managing to hold various English accents that corresponded to the characters. Furthermore, their voices projected very well, and their speeches and actions were charged with emotion and passion. There was only one stage design throughout – a ship’s deck – but it was lovingly made, with planks that could be moved up and down by some kind of backstage mechanism and props used for decoration. Additionally, different colors were used when characters were in different areas – for example, green lighting was used while the characters were in a jungle. (If you don’t understand this, you probably haven’t read the book or watched the play.) The technical design was also excellent. There were two treasure chest props, but the decoy was marked with an “X” at the beginning of the play so the audience could tell the chests apart. The actors also did something which I found very interesting – they used themselves as props! This was done in a variety of ways, but what I remember the most about this system is a scene that takes place below the deck of the Never Land. As some characters are exploring the area below deck, the others form a “wall” using their own bodies. At times a character “opens” a door, and one of the actors steps aside, acting as the door. When the door is closed, all the “prop actors” shout “SLAM!”. While not as perfect a replication as in other forms of media, I found the resulting effect to be rather charming. Overall, the play was captivating and entertaining. I have only one complaint – the characters sometimes make anachronistic pop-culture references for the sake of humor. While I recognize that this is to appeal to the audience, I personally felt jarred by the characters with British accents making pop-culture references to things that would not even exist in that time period. Nonetheless, the audience seemed to be mostly teenagers and young adults, so I guess that it works in context.
In conclusion, the play was excellent in many regards, and I’d recommend patronage. Overall, I give it 4.372 stars out of 5.1. Why 5.1, you ask? Because I don’t know!! Thanks for reading, and I’ll be seeing you!
Editor’s Note- Peter & The Starcatcher was a show brought to us by Virginia Repertory Theater
Cole is 15 years old. Cole has Asperger’s and is this site’s first young adult monthly contributor. Cole will write about a variety of topics. He started High School this year at an IT specialty center. He dearly loves pet sitting, and is a total pet whisperer!