"Peter and the Starcatcher," a five-time Tony-Award winner in its original Broadway run, played Proctors last Saturday. "Peter," based on the book "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is a dark tale of pirates, orphans, ships and treasure chests. There were only two performances—just a brief stop on a national tour.
Act One of the evening performance was fairly flat. While the play stays within the universe of the book, Act One struck me as a jumble of details that were presented in double time. I kept thinking I had made a mistake in bothering to see this show, and began sneaking peeks at the exit doors.
Then, towards the end of the first act, things began to happen. The production began to take shape. In a moment, there was great excitement instead of lackluster exposition. "Peter and the Starcatcher" came to life and, in doing so, invited the audience to use its collective imagination to partake of the make-believe world that was playing out on stage.
Above all, what really is outstanding about this production is the way it utilizes a neutral set, colorful lighting design, and special effects… and it is amazing to see how everyday items are transformed to create a thrilling fantasy without the aid of computer graphics.
The special effects are so basic. Ropes are swung and snapped to become the wild waves of the ocean. Yellow rubber gloves just like the latex-free ones with which we wash dishes become highly animated yellow birds. White cotton triangular pieces of fabric become the giant jaws of the crocodile. The Proctors audience loved using its imaginative powers and showed great enthusiasm for these old-fashioned stage effects.
The youthful cast was energetic and superb, especially Joe Beuerlein as the fearsome and funny Black Stache. Because this is a national tour, it is reasonable to expect total professionalism, and that is what the audience got. The pirates were comical ruffians, and the orphan boys seemed hungry and desperate. Bryan Welnicki as the boy who would be Peter was quite compelling, and Aisling Halpin as Molly was absolutely charming.
While the play is a somewhat credible prequel to the Peter Pan stories, it lacks the magic to rival James M. Barrie’s writings. Still, the audience was fully engaged in the production and gave the actors an enthusiastic ovation at the end.
What I find really incredible is that "Peter and the Starcatcher" only was at Proctors for a single day. Blink and you missed it! If you are like me and love the magic of the Peter Pan tale, you cannot help but appreciate the bit of magic that makes it possible for Proctors to offer a Broadway-sized show to more than 1,000 folks from all over the upstate area… Then it’s pack up and poof—it’s gone!
Audrey Kupferberg is a film and video archivist and appraiser. She teaches film studies at the University at Albany and has co-authored several entertainment biographies with her husband and creative partner, Rob Edelman.
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