After a month of classes, theater season is finally upon us again. The first show of the year is one of the handful I have not seen, and I am thrilled that I can finally add it to my repertoire. “Peter and the Starcatcher” impressed me so much that I already bought tickets for tonight’s performance, and everyone else should as well.
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” for those who don’t know, is a Tony Award-winning straight play – although there are some incorporations of music – adapted from the series of children’s novels jointly written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to see Bradley’s production, which runs Thursdays through Sundays from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6, and no amount of hyperbole can express how great the show is. From the design elements to the acting, the show was phenomenal in every way.
“The action is driven by an ensemble that never stops moving and who employ the most essential tools of storytelling to conjure up a fantastical world of hope, adventure and wonder,” said Scott Kanoff, chairperson of the department of theatre arts.
For those of you who, like me, are Broadway-obsessed, you will draw comparisons between the simple set and those of some minimalist shows like “The Band’s Visit” and “Come From Away.” It should be noted, though, that the production does the absolute most with what it has despite the minimalist design.
Regarding the acting, everyone was fantastic and the few standouts I noticed included Dan Matisa as Black Stache, who is brilliantly able to incorporate Monty Python-esque humor into his scenes whenever onstage. Another standout was Jake Winkle, who portrayed both Bill Slank and Hawking Clam. The final cast standout who I would like to mention is Maggie Sullivan who played Molly Aster.
As previously mentioned, I loved the show, and when I left the final dress rehearsal my only thought was “when am I going back?” So, I am going back tonight and probably again after that. If you like spectacular theater, I implore you to see this show at least once.
