‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ Opens On Broadway
By Samuel Negin
The Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher has officially opened on Broadway to some pretty strong reviews. The show’s plot provides a prequel to the well known Peter Pan story by J.M. Barrie and is told in the style of a children’s play (with some adult references), with actors providing the set where appropriate, for example. Some reviewers (like the New York Times) saw the storytelling and the play as magical, while others (like The Hollywood Reporter) thought it was a nice idea but poorly executed and a bit tacky. The comedic parts of the show received a similar split — some thought the humor was too childish while others thought that the show’s creators turned low humor into high comedy. Regardless of what anyone thought at the nit-pick level, everyone thought the show overall was fantastic (and that leads me to believe it will get a Best Play Tony nomination). Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, the two directors, were also universally thought to be a good match and right for the show, each bringing a different but needed sensibility to the production. Christian Borle, now famous for TV’s Smash, who was Tony-nominated for Legally Blonde a few years back, and theater vet Celia Keenan-Bolger, received praise for their performances, as well, adding at least one of their names to the nominations list.
Tags: Alex Timbers, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Christian Borle, J.M. Barrie, Legally Blonde, Peter and the Starcatcher, Roger Rees