Peter and the Starcatchers (play)
Encyclopedia
Peter and the Starcatcher is a play
based on the 2006 novel of the same name
by Dave Barry
and Ridley Pearson
, adapted for the stage by Rick Elice
. The play provides a backstory for the character Peter Pan
, and serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie
's Peter and Wendy
. After a premiere in California
, the play transferred to Off-Broadway
in 2011.
in California
, running from February 13 to March 8, 2009. It was directed by Elice's partner Roger Rees
, and co-directed by Alex Timbers
. An instrumental score was written by Wayne Barker. This cast starred Adam Green
as Peter Pan
.
The show, now titled Peter and the Starcatcher, then opened Off-Broadway
at New York Theatre Workshop
, beginning performances on February 18, 2011. The show received several extensions, eventually closing on April 24, 2011. The new cast starred Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly, Christian Borle
as Black Stache
, and Adam Chanler-Berat
as Peter
. Through April 1, Borle shared the role of Black Stache with Steve Rosen.
According to Timbers, "We're [the production team] working on seeing if moving it to Broadway
is possible. I'm feeling optimistic and excited that it might have a future life." Producers have confirmed that "discussions are ongoing about a future commercial run." Of the project, Timbers said: "It was really great to hone and develop it. I'm not interested in the sorts of plays and musicals that are recreating movies on stage. The stagecraft I'm really interested in is stuff that feels inherently theatrical. Obviously, I think that's what we should all be doing." The play is expected to open on Broadway in a theatre to be announced in Spring 2012 with the creative team from the New York Theatre Workshop production.
, with Ben Brantley
writing:
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
based on the 2006 novel of the same name
Peter and the Starcatchers
Peter and the Starcatchers is a best-selling children's novel that was published by Hyperion Books, a subsidiary of Disney, in 2004. Written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the book provides a backstory for the character Peter Pan, and serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie's novel Peter and Wendy...
by Dave Barry
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
and Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
, adapted for the stage by Rick Elice
Rick Elice
-Life:Elice earned his BA from Cornell University, his MFA from the Yale Drama School and is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard. He was the salutatorian graduate of Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York . He is a charter member of the American Repertory Theatre...
. The play provides a backstory for the character Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
, and serves as a prequel to J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
's Peter and Wendy
Peter and Wendy
Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up...
. After a premiere in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the play transferred to Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 2011.
Productions
The play premiered at the La Jolla PlayhouseLa Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, running from February 13 to March 8, 2009. It was directed by Elice's partner Roger Rees
Roger Rees
Roger Rees is a Welsh actor. He is best known to American audiences for playing the characters Robin Colcord on the American television sitcom show Cheers and Lord John Marbury on the American television drama The West Wing...
, and co-directed by Alex Timbers
Alex Timbers
Alex Timbers is a Tony-nominated writer and director and the recipient of Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as two OBIE Awards....
. An instrumental score was written by Wayne Barker. This cast starred Adam Green
Adam Green
Adam Green may refer to:*Adam Green , writer/director of Hatchet*Adam Green , staff cartoonist for the New Art Examiner, early 1990s...
as Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
.
The show, now titled Peter and the Starcatcher, then opened Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at New York Theatre Workshop
New York Theatre Workshop
__notoc__New York Theatre Workshop is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it houses a 198-seat theatre for its mainstage productions, and a...
, beginning performances on February 18, 2011. The show received several extensions, eventually closing on April 24, 2011. The new cast starred Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly, Christian Borle
Christian Borle
Christian Borle is an American actor. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Borle has been primarily featured as an actor in Broadway productions....
as Black Stache
Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up and its various adaptations. The character is a villainous pirate captain of the Jolly Roger brig, and lord of the pirate village/harbour in Neverland, where he is widely feared. Most...
, and Adam Chanler-Berat
Adam Chanler-Berat
Adam Brian Chanler-Berat is an American theater performer and film actor. He was born in West Nyack, Rockland County, in New York where he attended Clarkstown High School South. He then attended Marymount Manhattan College.- Theater:...
as Peter
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
. Through April 1, Borle shared the role of Black Stache with Steve Rosen.
According to Timbers, "We're [the production team] working on seeing if moving it to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
is possible. I'm feeling optimistic and excited that it might have a future life." Producers have confirmed that "discussions are ongoing about a future commercial run." Of the project, Timbers said: "It was really great to hone and develop it. I'm not interested in the sorts of plays and musicals that are recreating movies on stage. The stagecraft I'm really interested in is stuff that feels inherently theatrical. Obviously, I think that's what we should all be doing." The play is expected to open on Broadway in a theatre to be announced in Spring 2012 with the creative team from the New York Theatre Workshop production.
Response
Although Peter garnered mixed reviews by most critics, the play received a rave review from The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, with Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
writing:
- "When the H.M.S. NeverlandNeverlandNeverland is a fictional world featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is the dwelling place of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, and others...
goes down in "Peter and the Starcatcher," it’s the most enthralling shipwreck since James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
sent the TitanicTitanic (1997 film)Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
to her watery grave in the late 1990s . . . The cast is, with no exceptions, wonderful . . . It’s a performance that you might classify as over the top, but only in the sense that the entire production is. With grown-up theatrical savvy and a child’s wonder at what it can achieve, "Peter and the Starcatcher" floats right through the ceiling of the physical limits imposed by a three-dimensional stage. While there’s not a body harness in sight, like those used to hoist the title characters of "Mary PoppinsMary Poppins (musical)Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the Disney 1964 film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre...
" and "Spider-ManSpider-Man: Turn Off the DarkSpider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The musical is based on the Spider-Man comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published by Marvel Comics, as well as the 2002...
," this show never stops flying."
Lucille Lortel Awards
- Outstanding Play (nominee)
- Outstanding Choreographer - Steven Hoggett (winner)
- Outstanding Lead Actor - Christian Borle (winner)
- Outstanding Scenic Design - Donyale Werle (nominee)
Drama Desk Awards
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play - Christian Borle (nominee)
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play - Celia Keenan-Bolger (nominee)
- Outstanding Choreography - Steven Hoggett (nominee)
- Outstanding Music in a Play - Wayne Barker (winner)
- Outstanding Costume Design - Paloma Young (nominee)
Tina Awards
- The Best Of Off-Broadway (Play) (nominee)
- Best Ensemble (Play) (nominee)
- Best Actor (Play) - Christian Borle (nominee)
- Best Director - Roger Rees and Alex Timbers (nominee)
- Best Choreographer - Steven Hogget (nominee)
- Best Scenic Design - Donyale Werle (nominee)
- Best Lighting Design - Jeff Croiter (nominee)
- Best Sound Design - Darron L. West (winner)
- Best Costume Design - Pamola Young (nominee)