Overview
Synopsis
Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel to Peter Pan based on the children’s book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and freely adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, with co-directors Alex Timbers and Roger Rees. For two-and-a-half hours, twelve actors make theatrical magic by playing dozens of characters: sailors, pirates, British naval officers, Mollusk natives and orphans in addition to eighteen major roles. The original Broadway production was a deliberately low-budget spectacle: an extravaganza of staging that relied on suggestion and storytelling rather than expensive set pieces like the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera or the helicopter in Miss Saigon. Elice’s script, jam-packed with poetry, fart jokes, gentle lyricism, and numerous nods to pop culture, is a coming-of-age adventure story about how a nameless orphan -- inspired by a remarkable and ambitious girl -- became the strange and celebrated hero that is the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.
Show Information
- Book
- Rick Elice
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Based on the the novel Peter and the Starcatcher by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2011
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- Settings
- Spectacle
- Time & Place
- 1885, the docks of portsmouth, the decks and holds of two ships, and the jungles and shores of mollusk island
- Cast Size
- large
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- high school, broadway, touring, College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Large Cast
Context
Based on Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novel Peter and the Starcatchers, Rick Elice’s unique Peter and the Starcatcher (note the dropped “s”) is one of the most inventive and adventurous plays to hit Broadway in recent years. Roger Rees and Alex Timbers co-directed the original production, from its earliest workshop at Williamstown Theatre Festival to the first fully mounted production at La Jolla to the New York premiere at New York Theatre Workshop and, finally, Broadway’s
to read the context for Peter and the Starcatcher and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
The twelve actors sweep onto the empty stage and gaze out at the audience. “When I was a boy, I wished I could fly,” says a young man at the center of the clump. Others chime in their agreement, then suddenly the only actress in the group bursts forward, adding -- to the irritation of the men surrounding her -- that she too dreamed of flying. “What?” she says to them, “Girls dream.” “Up to the stars,” the young man replies, “I like that.” “Me too,” she says, and the two of them, the actors
to read the plot for Peter and the Starcatcher and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A person who learns a trade or skill from an employer, usually for little to no wages.
A group of musicians, actors, or dancers who perform together.
A scene that happens earlier than the main story, often to enhance that main storyline or reveal important information.
A man who is overly concerned with his appearances, often for a comic effect.
Acted with being planned or organized.
The use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, done mistakenly and unintentionally creating a comic effect.
Telling a story, often accompanying or guiding the central action of the play.
A work that is primarily a straight play, but incorporates music or musical elements to tell the story.
A story with events that happen before another work.
The Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837-1901.
French for "living picture," a posed scene in which actors communicate meaning through facial expressions and posture.
A brief scene or episode.
The point in time in which something is at its most powerful.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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