“Peter and the Starcatcher”

[rating=3]It is not often that a smaller “community-type” theater company does a play that is what one might call extreme for their basic subscribers. Over the last several years, Citadel Theatre company in Lake Forest has burst out of their quiet shell and started bringing more extreme and experimental works to their stage. Lake Forest is indeed an older community. One that would be happy to do Neil Simon and Arthur Miller rather than big scale musicals, but under the leadership of Scott Phelps, this season has added some unusual pieces, including the not so well- known “Peter and the Starcatcher” a fantasy comedy written by Rick Elice ( who brought us “Jersey Boys” and “The Addams Family” as well as the new “The Cher Show”. As you can see by his credentials, he is brilliant and this saga imagines how Peter Pan might have become lost in Neverland.

In fact, this powerful little show with an amazingly large cast is so far out of the norm at this theater, I almost thought I was in the city of Chicago. Joking of course. Citadel is easy to get to and has free parking.

While this is not the usual fare for this theater, with the aid of experienced director Jeremy Aluma on a wild set ( in particular for the tiny stage area of the theater) by  Eric Luchen, we are dazzled by the characters in this story about finding  your home and perhaps one’s self as well. The questions arise as to where is home? How do we find it? To get there , Aluma has put together a solid cast of young players and as the villain in the piece, the amazing  Adrian Danzig ( one of the original 500 Clowns performers, who I have admired for years). Danzig is the perfect clown and knows how to play an audience to the hilt. We find ourselves not hating his Black Stache character, but indeed loving him, applauding his every scene!

This is a wildly entertaining story that needs your full attention. Performers will, from time to time, come into the audience and possibly play with you, so if you are the type that might doze off at a play, I suggest you request seats in the last row! “Peter and the Starcatcher is a play more than a musical, yet there is music in it and a piano player to bring it to life. The name is not found in the program, as several people handle this. I saw, or should I say heard Kailey Rockwell, She is terrific. The alternates are Cody Michael Bradley and Musical Director Jon Schneidman.

This cast is asked to play many roles ( I think I counted around 98) including the marvelous opening number in the second act about “mermaids”. The starcatcher is Molly Aster ( played to perfection by Mariah Copeland) who is off with her Nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake ( a splendid job by Rebecca Fletcher) to  protect the material known as “starstuff” a celestial substance that  must never fall into the wrong hands. At the dock, their trunk gets mixed up with another and the journey begins. Her father , Lord Leonard Aster ( keenly played by newcomer Christian Edwin Cook) is on the other ship, with the other chest that is filled with sand.

Once this all begins, we become caught up in a maze of craziness and zany situations. Peter, is not yet, Peter, but in fact one of the Orphan boys ( Jayson Lee is perfect as this young man) along with his orphan buddies, Prentiss (Jason Goff) and Ted ( deftly handled by Daniel Gadaj). The two ships’ captains are played by the adorable Angelina Mussro ( Captain Robert Falcon Scott) and the evil Captain Slank ( a wild and wooly portrayal by Dekyi Ronge’). By the way, Stache , who as the play goes on indicates that he is in reality Captain Hook ( to come in the future) has a right hand man ( until the second act, ha ha) called Smee ( a delightful character played by  Scott Ray Merchant). He is a hoot!

The rest of the cast is solid as well and proves the importance of the Ensemble: Wanda Jin, Gaby Labotka, Michael Morrow, Val Gerard, Dave Honigman, Bernadette Carter and Laura Brennan. Great work!

On the tech side, Lacie Hexom found props that will absolutely amaze your eyes! Andrei Borges’ lights are perfect as is the sound by Robert Hornbostel and the dazzling costumes by Madeleine Byrne appear to be of the quality of a much larger theater company. Breon Arzell handled the movement ( can’t call it dance) and the fight choreography is by Jaq Seifert.

I am sure that many people will read other reviews and wonder why the difference. I must say that the play is not my favorite work. In fact, I can see why it is seldom considered, but one must see that the Citadel is trying to attract a larger audience of more sophisticated theater patrons seeking more that “your parent’s musicals and plays”. They say variety is the spice of life. “Peter and the Starcatcher” is HOT STUFF!

The show has closed for reasons that the theater has yet to divulge- stay tuned for their next production, “Annie” a better fit for Lake Forest

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 847-735-8554

www.citadeltheatre.org/peter-and-the-starcatcher

The theater is locatedat 300 S. Waukegan Road in Lake Forest ( the building was Lake Forest HS “west campus”

Just south of Route 60 with plenty of free parking.

Tickets range from $40-$45

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Peter and the Starcatcher”.

FYI- coming up this season “Annie”,  , “The Fantastiks” and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” – this should keep Lake Forest happy!