Gunn Theatre Presents "Peter and the Starcatcher"

“Tony-winning Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan),” according to Music Theatre International (MTI Shows). “A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, and written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores the depths of greed and despair... and the bonds of friendship, duty and love.”

When the play made its Broadway debut in 2012, The New York Times named it a Critics Pick. “‘Peter’ is all about storytelling as a lively (and live) art, and the energized complicity that’s forged between the teller and the listener,” Ben Brantley said in his review. “The story simultaneously being told and celebrated is as elaborate, simple, cozy and scary as the best bedtime stories are. Its elements include an ocean voyage, a shipwreck, a cargo of something called stardust, a blissful Edwardian chorus line of singing mermaids and three orphans (sold to a dastardly seaman for sinister purposes) who have never seen the light of day before. The unhappiest of these lads doesn’t even have a name to call his own.”

Kent Burnham, Director of Theatre Arts, directed the play eight years ago and was eager to recreate it for the stage at Gunn. He did so with “a dynamic and fiercely talented company of student-actors,” and “an incredibly creative and imaginative group of student-designers.”

In his Director’s Note, Burnham further noted that the play “demands a lot from everyone involved. It requires those, on and off stage, to lean in and commit to the style, story, and demands of storytelling theatre. The story is rooted in the power of the imagination and the art of storytelling, and it invites everyone in the theatre (actors, designers, and audience) to be playful, imaginative, and invested.”

That investment is apparently worth it. As he said: “Set in a fantastical world, Peter and the Starcatcher reminds us that home can be found in the most unexpected places and often in the bonds we create with others. The story of self-discovery, of growing up, is a story we all share, and if we are lucky, we learn what that means in relation to others. Like Peter in Peter and the Starcatcher, the journey we follow is often a story of adventure and learning to believe in oneself.”

The cast of Peter and the Starcatcher includes: Oliver Severino ’27 (Boy/Peter), Talulah Ryan ’27 (Ted), Ezekiel Hatcher ’26 (Prentis), Michal Schroeder’26 (Molly Aster), Gavin Forbes ’28 (Lord Leonard Aster), Dean Sevin ‘28 (Mrs. Bumbrake), Poppy Mand ’27 (Black Stache), Vivian Burnham ‘’29 (Smee), Aniah Sam ’27 (Bill Blank), Ella Hutchison ’29 (Alf), Jae’Lin Williams Richards ’28 (Mack), Charlotte Friedman ’27 (Grempkin), Portia Ntem-Mensah ’28 (Fighting Prawn), Kate Baker ’27 (Hawking Clam), Jaeyi Lee ’27 (Captain Scott), Jayden Lim ’27 (Lim), and Evan Quin ’29 (Teacher). In this production, the cast will also portray sailors, seamen, seafarers, orphans, pirates, mermaids, mollusks, and narrators.

The Design Team includes: Katherine Aguirre-Felipe ’26 (Sound Designer, Prop Design, Scenic Design, Set Construction); Polly Ross ’26 (Costumer Designer, Prop Design, Scenic Design); Eva Kwon ’27 (Assistant Costume Designer, Prop Design, Scenic Design); Sara Wang ’26 (Scenic Design, Set Construction); Dora Ai ’27 (Scenic Design, Set Construction); Snow Zhang ’27 (Scenic Design, Set Construction); Daisy Zhang ’27 (Scenic Design, Set Construction).

Peter and the Starcatcher is directed by Burnham with Ashley Taylor, Assistant to the Production, Leo Jiang, Assistant to the Production, Al Chiappetta, Technical Director, Terry Hawley P’08, Costume Supervisor, Greg Fisher, Sound Supervisor, and Sarah Fay, Music Director. To learn more about Gunn Theatre, visit our web page.