Peter and the Starcatcher

Peter and the Starcatcher
BDT Stage
Boulder, CO
March 4 - May 14, 2016

Peter and the Starcatcher is billed as a prequel to Peter Pan. While it is meant for an older audience, it carries much of the charm of the story. BDT Stage has made the play into an entertaining journey.

Who all the characters are or will become is not always clear. It doesn’t take long to identify Black Stache as the future Captain Hook. And Smee is, well, Smee. However, the other characters are not easily relatable to the famous story. But the script reveals their roles in its own time.

The telling of the tale is untraditional with the entire cast acting as a Greek chorus to narrate. The preface monologues were presented well with plenty of momentum to illustrate and entertain the audience until the action started.

The story is somewhat confusing with two identical trunks on two very different ships. The script and emphasis by the actors help us to attempt to keep them straight, especially when the same set is used for both ships.

The real star of the show was the staging. Scenes were blocked in a clever way and the use of simple objects demonstrated movement and changes in location. In many cases a simple rope designated walls. The positioning of actors was also effective. Many times their leaning and twisting gave the feeling of a lurching ship.

The casting was well done, as usual. Smee was just as you remember him and Black Stache had the charisma and perfect comedic timing needed to lead into Captain Hook. Molly asserts herself as a leader and the perfect lead in to Wendy. And Peter’s slowly emerging character gives insight to his desire to never grow up.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also give credit to the new chef at BDT Stage. The menu has been steadily improving over the past few years. The current offerings are more interesting and flavorful than the past. It’s difficult to decide which meal to order – then make plans to try something else next time!