THEATRE: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

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PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

 

People who pay even a little bit of attention to me know that I’m obsessed with all things Peter Pan. And people who know me know that I am Peter Pan!!! Let me tell you, that boy had it right about not growing up.

[Digression: I’ve, of course, had birthday cakes with “Peter Pan” on them, but the one that was by accident is one of my favorite stories, which you can read here: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/holiday-happy-birthday-to-me-2013.]

I used to be a purist about the story that I grew up with, needing it to be only the exact musical, with no deviations from the Mary Martin-Sandy Duncan-Cathy Rigby version. I wasn’t even into the Disney version when I was younger! But, like my rules on exact afternoon teas that have been loosened over the years, (although I’ll never accept dummies erroneously labeling it “high tea,”) I’ve come to accept different versions of the J. M. Barrie classic, as long as Peter doesn’t grow up at the end. (You don’t want to be sitting near me when Wendy does! Hint–It involves wailing the likes of which you’ve rarely heard.)

Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher at the Ahmanson Theatre.  Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Cast of Peter and the Starcatcher at the Ahmanson Theatre. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

But Peter and the Starcatcher, at the Ahmanson Theatre, bears little resemblance to the story of Peter Pan that I’m sure we all know. That’s not a bad thing; I just want you to be aware of that fact going in. It didn’t occur to me until almost the end that this is a prequel to the story of Peter Pan, and not a re-telling, as I had erroneously expected. This one imagines how he came to be in Neverland, and even how he got his name. It would have helped if I had known all that going in, but I try never to read anything about a show before I see it so I can just discover the journey for myself. But this time, that was a mistake, one I’m saving you all from right now.

I have to admit that it took me until Scene Six (of eleven) in Act One to get into this show. Part of that was just me having too much on my mind to pay strict attention to what was happening onstage, but a lot of it was that the lighting and costumes were just too dark, and the story itself was a bit muddy. It was a bunch of cast members just shouting out one line at a time, rapid-fire, with thick fake English accents, and I just couldn’t latch on to the action. But most everybody else in the opening night audience seemed to really enjoy it from the start.

The outstanding John Sanders leading his band of pirates.  Photo by Jenny Anderson.

The outstanding John Sanders leading his band of pirates. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

I’m sure I’m not unique in singling-out John Sanders who plays the Captain Hook character, Black Stache. That guy was phenomenal! I’m sure a lot of it was the way the character was written, with all the best lines, but it could not have been played any better than Sanders did. He gave it his all, and then some; that guy must lose ten pounds a show with all the energy he brings to his performance.

There’s a lot to like in this show, with the second half being far superior to the first. (I noticed that several people left at halftime, and trust me, they definitely missed out by doing so.)

Let me get the few negatives out of the way so I can get to the many positives. As I mentioned before, the grayness of the costumes and lighting in Act One made it very difficult for me to enjoy, and I heard several others complaining about that during intermission, as well. The whole thing was just a little too campy for my taste, but definitely not for the rest of the heartily-laughing audience. The only other negative for me, (which won’t be one for you because I’m warning you now,) is if you’re expecting to see the show Peter Pan, don’t.

Now here a bunch of the positives, in no particular order: I love that they had two musicians kind-of hidden off to the side and above the stage, doing interesting, unexpected, and appreciated sound effects for the whole show. And it’s fun that they brought in their own proscenium, (stage-framer, for you non-theatre majors,) which lent a festive air to the proceedings before they even began. And they made very clever use of modern phrases, each one a welcome surprise.

Opening of the Act Two.  Now, isn't this scene worth staying for? Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Opening of the Act Two. Now, isn’t this scene worth staying for? Photo by Jenny Anderson.

The best part, to me, outside of John Sanders’ performance, was that the second act had color and sparkle in it, right from the opening scene. There were a lot of clever touches, in both acts, such as using a floppy yellow rubber dishwashing glove as a bird.

I enjoyed the references to Sleeping Beauty because I had just seen Matthew Bourne’s ballet of it at this same theatre two weeks earlier! I know they didn’t do it for that reason, (rather, that it was already written in the script of Peter and the Starcatcher, ) but it just gave me a good feeling, remembering that earlier life on this stage.

Overall, even if I couldn’t follow half of the action, I applaud the fact that this was a super-tight production, which must have been an extreme amount of work to put together. I cannot even begin to imagine what went into its formation, from its inception followed by workshops several years ago, to now. It took a lot of creative minds to get this show to where it is.

One aspect of the production that I know the powers-that-be over there are really proud of is that much of the little-there-is scenery, and the props, are fashioned from discarded items. In addition to living my life as Peter Pan, I really care about the environment, so I laud them for doing this. (If they had told me when they were coming to LA, I could have given them half the items in my over-full house—it’s a treasure trove in here! So keep that in mind, you other designers who want to follow their lead. As club girls say to the guys they just made-out with, call me!)

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

To sum up, Peter and the Starcatcher, no matter what else you may think of it, is basically non-painful fun, which is always a good thing. And I didn’t even cry at the end of it!

[This observation isn’t about the actual show, but my guest and I, without planning it, were both wearing black boots, which is unremarkable in itself, but hers were Captain Hook-like, while mine were, of course, Peter Pans! How’s that for wardrobe synchronicity?!]

Peter and the Starcatcher running through January 12, 2014 (Which is two days before my birthday, on which I still won’t grow-up!)
Ahmanson Theatre 135 N. Grand Ave. 213-972-4400 www.CenterTheatreGroup.org

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