Catching Stars

Peter and the Starcatcher had a profound impact on Coral Drouyn when she saw it on Broadway … now she is excited to explore the Dead Puppet Society’s take on the show in this first Australian production.

Once upon a time the world was a kinder place, and we believed in dreams and lived in hope. We imagined Never-Never Land, but got stuck with Never Land:

Never show your emotions.

Never offend anyone.

Never give a sucker an even break.

Never tell anyone your dreams in case they think you’re crazy.

Wouldn’t you like, if only for one night, to return to that place in your mind where childhood dreams still live, neglected and yearning for attention?

Peter and the Starcatcher can take you there, back to that place we dared to imagine; where orphan boys never age, and fairies were not cheap acrylic sun catchers you bought online. And we surely all know and treasure the story of Peter Pan and wonder how he ever found his way to immortality. Well, this is THAT story.

It is 12 years since I encountered the magic of childhood again, then on Broadway, and it has taken nearly fourteen years for this miraculous show to reach us here. Six of those years were spent with Dead Puppet Society negotiating with Disney Theatrical Group, and convincing them that this was the time, and the company and the vision to bring the show to Australia.

Six years is a long time in anyone’s life, let alone that of an inner child. Nicholas Paine, Creative Producer at DPS, never gave up the quest and now PATS (as it is affectionately known), is set to hit our stages in a national tour. It brings with it not just a renewed faith in the ability of theatre to uplift us and touch us emotionally, but a magic box full of special effects and puppetry that wouldn’t have been available if the show had reached us earlier. Perhaps the long delay has worked to our advantage. DPS certainly thinks so, as Nicholas Paine, tells me.

“We can’t say that this will be the biggest production to date, but we’re certainly coming at it in a way that hasn’t been done before. Dead Puppet Society has approached the script with playfulness and a whole lot of theatrical magic. Performers are cast not just as characters, but as an ensemble that brings the whole world of the play to life. They move set pieces, light the action, and wield puppets right before audience eyes,“ Nicholas said.

“There’s all sorts of different styles and techniques of puppetry used alongside the human performers in this show, from super simple shadow puppets to large scale objects focussed on spectacle, and finely crafted creatures designed to mimic their real-life counterparts and trick you into believing they’re living, breathing animals.

These objects allow us to expand the scope of the story and the world it takes place within; the seas and skies and forests of our version of Peter and the Starcatcher are no longer empty. Just like everything else in this show, our puppets are loaded with effects and technologies that will keep the audience guessing as to what they might do next, and whether it will be down to their own imaginations, or some wizardry that one of our artists is about to pull.”

But a special show needs more than staging to take us on a magical journey. With a cast that includes the dashing and charismatic Colin Lane bringing to life the character we now know as Captain Hook, here called Black Stache (it rhymes with panache), and Paul Capsis, one of our most revered stage artists as Slank, not to mention the fabulous Pete Helliar as Smee (oops, I got excited and mentioned him),  how could we not take flight with Boy (long before he became Peter Pan), played by Otis Dhanji, in a quest to reach that awesome destination? And Alison Whyte, one of our best-known actresses, and the wonderful Olivia Deeble as Molly, a re-imagined Wendy, a young starcatcher, join the other luminaries who provide the light and help us to fly so high.