Peter and the Starcatcher

Based on the 2004 novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, (published by Disney), Peter Pan’s ‘origin story’ comes to life on stage as a theatre piece by Rick Elice, developed by Disney Theatrical Group, which premiered on Broadway in 2012 and went on to be nominated for a dozen Tony Awards, winning four for its design elements and one for best actor. That’s a lot of pressure on subsequent productions to live up to! This colourful new stage version is a collaboration with six co-producers plus Glass Half Full Productions, JONES Theatrical Group, Damien Hewitt Productions and Brisbane-based Dead Puppet Society (DPS). DPS designed and produced the bold puppet characters and some costume features, and their Creative Director, David Morton, also directs. The play is a quirky mish-mash of styles: part Horrible Histories with puppetry and part Christmas panto with drama. The mash-up is reflected in the eclectic casting of a talented all-round cast, stars in their own unique areas – combining stunning newcomers Olivia Deeble as Molly and Otis Dhanji as Peter, and fabulous faces-to-watch Benjin Maza and Morgan Francis (as Peter’s orphan pals), with smashing stage stalwarts Alison Whyte, Paul Capsis, Hugh Parker, John Batchelor, Lucy Goleby and Ryan Gonzalez, and comic performers Colin Lane (Black Stache) and Pete Helliar (Smee).

Having already toured Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, the Brisbane opening night felt a tad tentative, despite a friends-and-fans-filled audience in a completely packed Playhouse Theatre. Any inconsistencies I put down to the original play. Attention spans have changed in the last decade and I wonder if two Acts are needed now? The cast work their individual magic – special pirate hats off to the tireless Paul Capsis! Some slapstick and gag-based material seems dated, despite the cast’s high-powered efforts to make the overall tone evenly high level. For me, the script’s overly narrated style sometimes irks and I prefer it when the cast are simply trusted to just tell the story through character – such as the funny moments between Molly and her nanny, Mrs Bumbrake (Lucy Goleby) and Molly and her father (Alison Whyte). But the younger audience won’t mind the story prompts, and some funny business by the villains directed straight to the front rows had the audience in stitches, once they’d warmed up. The central story of Peter and Molly is engaging – it’s hard to believe that this is Olivia Deeble’s professional stage debut: she is so confident and accomplished in vocal strength and physical movement. Otis Dhanji brings his surfing energy, stage and screen focus to his role as the boy soon to be called Peter. The script allows other characters to merely skim along, and, while the number of cast members is needed to play multiple roles and operate stage sets and puppets, I’d prefer to see more of talents like Hugh Parker front of stage and not hidden in the shadows.

The pace picks up in the second Act, aided by some psychedelic sea creatures and fantastic live music by Wayne Barker, with Musical Direction by James Dobinson, performed by musicians including Annie Silva-McKnight and Luke Volker. The ensemble cast comes to the fore in these musical moments. This production is a great collaborative effort, with excellent movement direction by Liesel Zink, costume design by Anna Cordingley, lighting design by Ben Hughes, and sound design by Matthew Erskine. The kids in the audience will enjoy the cross-over elements that will help them segue from a children’s to an adult’s theatre world – and there are many theatrical in-jokes for adults to smirk at too. But, am I being too curmudgeonly to long for the day when a top-quality children’s theatre production will present itself minus the ubiquitous ‘fart gags’? I am also left to ponder why, since Peter Pan has been flying on stage since 1904, this stage version leaves you longing for that iconic image.

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Daniel Boud

Find out more: peterandthestarcatcher.com.au