Peter & The Starcatcher brings Peter Pan to new life
Peter Pan is arguably one of the most beloved stories from our childhood, but if you’ve ever wanted to know what led up to the magic of Peter, Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, and friends, then you’re in luck. Starting Friday at 8 p.m., the Chattanooga Theatre Centre will be telling the prequel story of Peter Pan with their production of “Peter & The Starcatcher”.
“Peter & The Starcatcher” follows the journey of Peter Pan, a lonely orphan who later becomes The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. Peter meets Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training, on board a ship bound for an island ruled by an evil king, and it’s then that the magic begins. The all-ages performance includes a takeover by pirates, a shipwreck, and singing mermaids, among other magical forms of excitement.
The original theatre performance of “Peter & The Starcatcher” was directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, and the Theatre Centre’s performance holds many similarities to the original. Directed by Scott Dunlap and Beth Gumnick, “Peter & The Starcatcher” at the Theatre Centre includes twelve cast members who portray more than 100 uniquely different characters.
“Every [cast member] is essential, absolutely essential, and they have a different kind of responsibility because they have to change gears quickly, from one thing into the next,” explained Gumnick. “One minute they’re this character, and then in the next, immediately following, they’re a totally different character.”
One of the main distinguishing aspects of “Peter & The Starcatcher” is the idea of creating things out of different things, such as a towel turning into a cat, which is also what makes the performance so magical. Gumnick explained that the Theatre Centre’s goal in their production is to give people an experience similar to what would have been if they had seen the original.
Much like in Peter Pan and many other beloved classic stories, imagination is key, and Gumnick said the audience has to use their imagination and participate in order to bring the magic to life.
“Your imagination is what creates it, which is really the essence of reading, storytelling; so that’s one way it really does tie into the notion of how it’s the Peter Pan origin story, and someone actually came up with this, and you have to come up with it as an audience member to some degree,” Gumnick said. “And I think that some of those things are so fun and so clever and an opportunity for the audience members to have those ah-ha moments.”
Because imagination is so important to “Peter & The Starcatcher” , it’s been a fun challenge for the cast members to embrace that. Rehearsals began in late May, and the cast is putting on the finishing touches to prepare for opening night. Dunlap and Gumnick both explained that the cast shows incredible dedication, and their performance will definitely mirror that.
“I think that a lot of times, when you do a show, you have an opportunity for off-stage time, to look over your script, pay attention to what’s coming up next, and get your head around it. They have to do a lot of homework,” Gumnick said. “This cast has to be really dedicated because they don’t have down time in rehearsal, they don’t have an opportunity, after that scene’s over, to go look at their script to see what’s going on next. They just have to dive right into it.”
In addition to the challenge of the script and the portrayal of so many characters, the show also features several different musical numbers, such as singing and dancing done by mermaids. And, if that wasn’t enough, the show features live sound, meaning that all noises you hear on stage are made by the cast members and props. Dunlap and Gumnick said the production is going to have a very theatrical and Victorian feel, as many of the props are things you would find in a theatre or on a ship.
“I think that even if you don’t know Peter Pan very well, if the last time you saw it, you were five, you’re going to recognize things,” Dunlap said. “It’s a part of our lexicon; we don’t know how much we really do know, you know. There’s a really special connection in awakening your childhood, as well.”
“Peter & The Starcatcher” opens Friday night at 8 p.m., and it will be performed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, with a matinee show on Sundays, through July 30. If you’re looking for an opportunity to relive your childhood—or to just enjoy a humorous and fun performance—then you definitely don’t want to miss “Peter & The Starcatcher” at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.