Peter & the Starcatcher has good panto-ish pranks
N.B. BLR gives readers a Quicky version that features three sections of just a few paragraphs that sum up my overall take on the show. Readers who want more back-story & production details can read the expanded review in the Wordy version that follows.
Quicky Version
From the footlights : "Prequel". Some words will forever clang on the ear. But that's what Peter and the Starcatcher is called. The after-the-fact predecessor to Peter Pan that tells its backstory. It's the inaugural production at ACT's new 250-seat stage on West 1st at Cook Street in the heart of Olympic Village, known officially as "the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre" : new administrative offices, large rehearsal space & costume shops for both ACT and Bard on the Beach.
Our hero was orphan'd as a wee babe and he's not only nameless, he's filled with existential angst and no small quantum of fear-&-loathing for all things adult. They did, after all, abandon him at an early age. The story tells us how with his ragtag pals and "mother Molly", Peter finally got his name and the start of folklore immortality aboard the good ship Neverland.
Anticipation runs exceedingly high for the show that as of Opening Night (Dec. 2nd) already boasts 14(!) sold-out performances. It's sustained silliness suited equally well to either summer's usual frothy nonsense or to the crop of phantasies that always seem to find the footlights at Christmas.
Our hero was orphan'd as a wee babe and he's not only nameless, he's filled with existential angst and no small quantum of fear-&-loathing for all things adult. They did, after all, abandon him at an early age. The story tells us how with his ragtag pals and "mother Molly", Peter finally got his name and the start of folklore immortality aboard the good ship Neverland.
Anticipation runs exceedingly high for the show that as of Opening Night (Dec. 2nd) already boasts 14(!) sold-out performances. It's sustained silliness suited equally well to either summer's usual frothy nonsense or to the crop of phantasies that always seem to find the footlights at Christmas.
Acting pin-spots : No question to this viewer that Colleen Wheeler as Black Stache with her hideously hand-painted lip whiskers was the show's standout, though Emmelia Gordon as Smee was of equal oomph and dash. As Alf, Chris Cochrane was charmingly uncouth. Still, it would be refreshing, lit.& fig., if director David Mackay would for once not feature fart fanfare as a central sight-&-sound gag in one of his future shows. The distance between trope and meme and weary cliche is pretty short when hi-lited repeatedly in dramatist's c.v. A broader range of slapstick creative options surely could present itself.
Chirac Naik as the ever-starved Ted dreaming of food was just choice, and Benjamin Wardle as Boy/Peter Pan was a distinctive ingenue : a mix of whimsy and gusto.
As Molly, Rachel Cairns gave viewers every reason to believe she was an intellectual snot quite disliked by classmates (in pre-bullying parlance). Choice choice stuff.
As Molly, Rachel Cairns gave viewers every reason to believe she was an intellectual snot quite disliked by classmates (in pre-bullying parlance). Choice choice stuff.
Who gonna like : As noted infra, "PATS is part summer camp skit, part vaudeville, part English panto, part story theatre and part radio play with appropriate sound effects." Whether primary school kids would get much of anything out of all the verbal by-play I would doubt. But any youngster who knows the Peter Pan story -- even if just from seeing Disney -- would likely find this to be accessible fun. Given the lines I've quoted, clearly the Boomerista crowd will find lots to laugh at. A first-rate launch on this new state of the art stage at just the right time of year.
Wordy Version
From the footlights : "Prequel". Some words will forever clang on the ear. But that's what Peter and the Starcatcher is called. The after-the-fact predecessor to Peter Pan that tells its backstory. It's the inaugural production at ACT's new 250-seat stage on West 1st at Cook Street in the heart of Olympic Village, known officially as "the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre" : new administrative offices, large rehearsal space & costume shops for both ACT and Bard on the Beach.
Our hero was orphan'd as a wee babe and he's not only nameless, he's filled with existential angst and no small quantum of fear-&-loathing for all things adult. They did, after all, abandon him at an early age. The story tells us how with his ragtag pals and "mother Molly", Peter finally got his name and the start of folklore immortality aboard the good ship Neverland.
Anticipation runs exceedingly high for the show that as of Opening Night (Dec. 2nd) already boasts 14(!) sold-out performances. It's sustained silliness suited equally well to either summer's usual frothy nonsense or to the crop of phantasies that always seem to find the footlights at Christmas.
One of the orphans is nameless, called simply "Mule" or "Boy" (Benjamin Wardle) by the ship's first officer Slank (Vincent Tong). His co-orphans Ted (Chirag Naik) and Prentiss (Katey Hoffman) are collectively referred to as pigs. They are mustered in the ship's dungeon and fed wormy slop from a bucket by Alf (Chris Cochrane).
On Wasp, meanwhile a crewman imposter pirate named Black Stache (Colleen Wheeler) with help from sidekick Smee (Emmelia Gordon) mutinies in order to grab the Queen's trunk of treasures for themselves. Which, of course, was purposely trick-switched in Portsmouth and is "supposably" on the Neverland instead. And so the chase is on, the Wasp fully intent on stinging Neverland right in its booty.
What the show brings to the stage : PATS is part summer camp skit, part vaudeville, part English panto, part story theatre and part radio play with appropriate sound effects. The set is spare : five risers that act primarily as the ships' various decks with huge round-timber masts, rigging ropes galore, yardarms and a coupla sails. The intent is to have the audience throw their febrile imaginations into the mix to fill in the missing pieces.
Director David Mackay tells viewers the show "depends so much on you to participate with an active imagination." He notes that the thirteen cast members play multiple roles, "sometimes switching characters before your eyes, and other times actors are incorporated directly into the scenery as props." This latter effect is used often, usually having the cast act as one of the ship's walls with creaky sound effects as players open and close its doors. Very cleverly imagined and executed.
Character Mrs. Bumbrake (Beatrice Zeilinger) demonstrates the allure of alliteration brought to the show by playwright Rick Elice (from the novel by Rick Barry and Ridley Pearson). Other textual riffs : her suitor Alf woos her with such wit as "I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them." These exchanges are completely au courant, nothing old school straight stuff at all. Palm slaps. "Snap!" Comments to the crowd : "We can't take all night here, the people have paid for parking and nannies!" Black Stache natters at Smee. Molly refers to "people hungry for world power like Caesar, Ghengis Khan or Ayn Rand" and mentions that "saving the world's a bit abstract for a 13-year-old". When Stache tries to draft Peter as a pirate, too, he says Peter as a pirate will be "as iconic as the moonwalk in a Michael Jackson video." Nice link. Or during one trunk switcher sequence, this beauty : "This trunk is hard to find : it's as elusive as a melody in a Philip Glass composition!" And not to forget a current favourite of Millenials : "You're killing' my buzz, Boy!" B.S. snipes. So clearly clever timely dialogue is paramount in this piece, no question.
Act 1 exposition has too little of Wayne Barker's music numbers and too many words-chasing-words by Elice i.m.o. But Act 2 almost makes up for it with its whiz-bang opening number where we see the pirates have morphed into mermaids in absolutely stupendous fishy outfits : "Starstuff made my tuna melt and made a mermaid out of me" they sing and dance in slow kick Moulin Rouge fashion. ("Starstuff" is magical fairy dust. It looks like sand but it's got magical qualities. That's the treasure Queen Victoria's trying to secret away to Rundoon.)
The later scene with the native "Mollusks" on shipwreck island with everyone trying to avoid pelting monsoon rains under a tribe of yellow umbrellas was choice staging and costuming both.
Acting pin-spots : No question to this viewer that Colleen Wheeler as Black Stache with her hideously hand-painted lip whiskers was the show's standout, though Emmelia Gordon as Smee was of equal oomph and dash. As Alf, Chris Cochrane was charmingly uncouth. Still, it would be refreshing, lit.& fig., if director David Mackay would for once not feature fart fanfare as a central sight-&-sound gag in one of his future shows. The distance between trope and meme and weary cliche is pretty short when hi-lited repeatedly in a dramatist's c.v. A broader range of slapstick creative options surely could present itself.
Chirac Naik as the ever-starved Ted dreaming of food was just choice, and Benjamin Wardle as Boy/Peter Pan was a distinctive ingenue : a mix of whimsy and gusto.
As Molly, Rachel Cairns gave viewers every reason to believe she was an intellectual snot quite disliked by classmates (in pre-bullying parlance). Choice choice stuff.
As Molly, Rachel Cairns gave viewers every reason to believe she was an intellectual snot quite disliked by classmates (in pre-bullying parlance). Choice choice stuff.
Production values of note : Very clever blocking, staging and choreography by Choreographer Jennifer Copping. Lots of group routines coupled with good individual moves for the cast, too. Costume Designer Carmen Alatorre threw up some terrific period pieces along with more fantastical outfits, a mix of just right dull and dreary offset by the colourful and clown-y. Upon reflection, probably not quite enough can be said about Laughlin Johnston's extremely clever and workable skeletal set, with the soundscape performers completely visible on both stage left-&-right. Musical Director Kevin Michael Cripps put together nice plinky-plink vaudy tunes on the piano and other fun touches to underscore the on-stage goofiness.
Who gonna like : As noted, "PATS is part summer camp skit, part vaudeville, part English panto, part story theatre and part radio play with appropriate sound effects." Whether primary school kids would get much of anything out of all the verbal by-play I would doubt. But any youngster who knows the Peter Pan story -- even if just from seeing Disney -- would likely find this to be accessible fun. Given the lines I've quoted, clearly the Boomerista crowd will find lots to laugh at. A first-rate launch on this new state of the art stage at just the right time of year.
Particulars : Script by Rick Elice based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. At ACT's new 1st Avenue / Olympic Village stage. Run-time 140 minutes including intermission. On into January, no set end-date. Schedule information & tickets via www.ArtsCentre.com or by phoning 604.687.1644.
Production team : Director David Mackay. Assistant Director / Choreographer Jennifer Copping. Set Designer Laughlin Johnston. Costume Designer Carmen Alatorre. Lighting Designer Conor Moore. Musical Director Kevin Michael Cripps. Assistant Musical Director Lindsay Warnock. Assistant Director Mitch Ward. Fight Directors Mike Novak / Ryan McNeill Bolton. Music Supervisor Murray Price. Stage Manager Caryn Fehr. Apprentice Stage Manager Michelle Harrison.
Performers : Rachel Cairns (Molly). Aden Church (Lord Aster). Chris Cochrane (Alf). Kevin Michael Chips (Ensemble). Emmelia Gordon (Smee). Katey Hoffman (Prentiss). Catriona Murphy (Captain Scott / Musician). Chirac Naik (Ted). Vincent Tong (Slank / Hawking Clam). Benjamin Wardle (Boy / Peter). Colleen Wheeler (Black Stache). Joel Wirkkunen (Grempkin / Mack / Sanchez / Fighting Prawn). Beatrice Zeilinger (Mrs. Bumbrake / Teacher).
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