Take your inner child to Neverland at Klein Theatre

by YZABEL ILAO

Staff Writer

Do you need a break from preparing for finals? From April 3 to 19, UMW Theatre’s “Peter and the Starcatcher” is in production. As a true patron of the arts, I attended the April 2 showing instead of doing my homework. 

The play acts as Peter Pan’s adventurous origin story and how Neverland came to be. The swashbuckling tale explores themes of youth, identity and finding your family in the most unexpected places. 

From the looks of it, you may think that it might be childish and boring because it is a children’s play. However, I was wrong. I realized that my jaded college kid attitude killed my inner child. I found myself laughing throughout the play and thoroughly enjoying every scene.

“It’s ultimately a play about storytelling, and something that we’ve been working on and been directed to do since the very start, is to squeeze the story out of every single moment in the show,” said freshman Ben Kline, who plays Boy and Peter Pan. “I think one of the most challenging things, but also the most fun things in the performance, is having to go at each line with the knowledge that this line is telling a story.” 

“Peter and the Starcatcher” is set in 19th-century England. The show follows two voyaging ships, the “Wasp” and the “Neverland.” The “Wasp” is responsible for a precious trunk of magical dust with transformational powers called starstuff, while the “Neverland” has the decoy trunk. When the “Neverland’s” sly captain, Bill Slank, switches the trunks, the situation goes awry when the pesky villain Blackstache gets involved and the heroes Molly Aster and the three orphan boys: Prentiss, Ted and Boy, try to protect the starstuff. 

“While this show has a lot of stuff for kids, I almost feel like in my heart, it’s a show meant for college students, because it’s about growing up, and it’s about wanting to stay young,” said senior communication and digital studies and theatre double major Cora Denny, who plays Alf. “I think it can resonate with these first-year students who are coming in and figuring out, ‘I’m a fresh adult. I’m learning how to navigate this world.’ Then us seniors, we’re graduating and we’re growing up.” 

The referential comedy was clever but not too out of reach. The jokes included poking fun at Russian-American author and philosopher Ayn Rand and alluding to a Michael Jackson music video. I found Blackstache, who is played by senior theatre major Rob Willcox, to be very amusing. I praise the skill of wiggling an enormous stache as a comic relief. 

The relationship between Mrs. Bumbrake, who freshman historic preservation major Lucas Bickford plays, and Alf, played by Denny, had great chemistry as the comedic couple who found love amidst nautical chaos. 

Secondly, the set design was outstanding. The stage was a jungle gym of random furniture that took you back to your childhood playground. When you Google search the stage designs for “Peter and the Starcatcher,” it resembles a ship or some variation of it. Rather than following past productions of the play, UMW Theatre’s stage design went against the grain. Making the stage resemble a playground was a deliberate choice to immerse the audience with its child-like aesthetic, cohesive with the play’s encouragement of youthful imagination. 

“One of the big discussions was the way that we wanted to present this show as a childhood imagination world,” said senior computer science and theatre double major Cameron Zakreski, who plays Prentiss. “We’re asking the audience to come along for that ride where, like, yes, we are using a ladle as a spoon, but when you’re a child and you’re playing, that ladle is a sword.” 

In terms of choreography, the cast was very fluid and dynamic. They were a flawless herd of theatre kids that made good use of space. A noteworthy scene showcasing this is when Molly looks for pigs in the ship; the actors transform the stage into a lively ship full of gambling, faithful worship and other seafaring shenanigans. With the help of lighting and sound, the actors move in the dark and into their places before Molly opens the “door” to another room in the ship. There are also a few musical numbers in this play, which were wonderfully executed and captivating to watch. 

Senior theatre major Nikki Rizzo, who played Molly Aster, reflected on her performance in the closing musical number of the first act, which brought a sense of accomplishment and inspiration.

“We had this brilliant closing act, one musical number, and I’m standing up on this platform. So it’s kind of impossible not to see the front row when I’m looking down at Peter at the front of the stage,” said Rizzo. “Front and center were these two little kids. The little girl had her hands to her heart and her eyes were as big as saucers. In that moment, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is it. Like, this is why we do this.’ These are the kids we’re telling this story for. I like to believe that we left a lasting impact on them and on everyone in the audience.”

UMW Theatre’s production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” is a passion project of the theatre department and an enjoyable experience for those who choose to become part of the audience. 

So, you’ve come this far. Go put the paper down, grab five bucks and head to Klein Theatre for your inner child’s sake before it’s too late.