Review: Peter and the Starcatcher

The creative and imaginative staging, sets, music, costumes and cast performances of Green Valley Theatre Company’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher magically transport the audience into the enchanted world of Peter Pan, Wendy and the Lost Boys.

This Tony-winning musical gives Peter Pan a fun, whimsical back story, with inventive interpretations of the familiar characters and storylines, including why Peter Pan flies, how Wendy (renamed Molly in this story) became a feisty young lady and caretaker of the Lost Boys, how Captain Hook (renamed Black Stache) lost his hand, and how Neverland came to be.

The basic story is fun, mostly aimed at an adult audience, but the real charm of this musical is in the staging—the dozen talented cast members not only portray a number of characters, but also act as rotating narrators, background chorus members, scene shifters and actual stage props. Toy boats become embattled pirate ships, plain ropes and ladders become mirrors, boxing rings and ship corridors, and flashlights and dangling flags become a giant, menacing crocodile.

The cast works in beautiful unison, with standouts in the lead roles: Kyle C. Burrow (Peter), Ariel Ryan (Molly Aster), Victoria Timoteo (Smee) and Kevin Caravalho (Black Stache). And kudos to director Christopher Cook and his whole production team. A couple of small tweaks would make the production even more powerful: dialing down a bit on the heavy accents so the lyrics can be understood and a smidgeon on the overall campiness of the character Black Stache.