Peter and the Starcatcher

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I went into Peter and the Starcatcher with the idea that it was a musical prequel to Peter Pan. Well, that's not entirely correct. There are a handful of songs, including a cute Act 2 opener involving Mermaids, but it's not really a musical. And while it does ultimately end up telling the story of a boy called Peter Pan, it didn't feel to me like it was a prequel to the Peter Pan story I know.

The show started out slowly, reminding me a bit of the beginning monologue of Shakespeare's Henry the Fifth. Each actor spoke one or two lines, setting up the story. I kept thinking, show me, don't tell me. I want see things, not hear them. Eventually we do get into the action, meeting Molly Aster and her father, three orphan boys, two ships' captains and crews, some islanders with a love of Italian cuisine, Molly's nanny, and ultimately, a bunch of pirates, lead by the infamous Black Stache. Molly and her father are on a secret mission from Queen Victoria (G-d save her), to destroy some starstuff. Of course, the mission doesn't go smoothly and all sorts of fast action hijinks ensue. Too many and too fast. I kept feeling like I was on a roller coaster log flume ride. But I must admit that they do some wonderful things with a simple piece of rope.

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