Peter and the Starcatcher

The Philadelphia Premiere of the five-time Tony Award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER can be seen on the mainstage of the Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street through May 1, 2016. This is an adult prequel to Peter Pan, giving a clear, although sometimes serpentine, explanation of how Peter became the boy who never grew up and how he and the lost boys came to live in Neverland. The choreography is masterful as pirates and others are constantly running into and away from each other on the masts of a ship.  Equally impressive is the use of a Greek chorus when the entire cast speaks as one.  Although not a musical, per sé, it is billed as a play with music, as there are several musical numbers interspersed throughout the piece. The musical number at the end of Act One is quite a production piece; it is reminiscent of a number from Les Miserable. There are laugh lines throughout this adventure. The lost boys are called pigs as they are held captive on the pirate ship and when Smee begins to feed them a pail of worms, one of them blithely asks, “Is there a vegetarian alternative?” A short time later, a native on a beach lifts a shell when a phone is ringing and explains, “Shell phone”. But these giggles are nothing compared to the 15 minute non-stop gag when Blackstach the pirate loses his hand. The combination of verbal and sight gags continues for 15 minutes; the audience has to gasp for breath due to the non-stop laughter pealing all through the theatre. This is not serious theatre, but it is seriously funny. For more information or tickets, call 215-573-3550, 800-982-2787, or visit online at www.walnutstreettheatre.org or ticketmaster.