If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Peter Pan before he showed up in Neverland, your questions are about to be answered.
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” the Broadway play based on the 2004 novel “Peter and the Starcatchers” by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is coming to the Paramount’s Copley Theare in Aurora to kick off season three of the Bold Series. It’s a play adapted by Rick Elice with music by Wayne Barker and won five Tony Awards in 2012.
Performances are at 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sundays July 24-Sept. 1.
“Peter and the Starcatcher” is the story of a 13-year-old orphan only known as “Boy” who grew up in unimaginable conditions and is sold into servitude aboard the Neverland-bound ship, the Wasp. It’s the prequel to “Peter Pan” and shows audiences how the Lost Boys got together, what Neverland was like and even what Captain Hook was up to.
For director Nate Cohen of Chicago, his involvement is also a little serendipitous. “Peter and the Starcatcher” was to be his thesis production for the MFA at Northwestern University.
“We were two weeks into rehearsal in the spring of 2020 when COVID hit,” he said. He was thrilled to be able to bring back the scenic designer and a couple of actors from that ill-fated production.
“The play is about a lot of really wonderful things — connection and finding a community,” he said. “All the reasons I loved the play are still reasons I love the play. Because it is a ‘Peter Pan’ prequel … it’s fun to reference things that will become rather than things that have happened before. It’s a slightly different way of doing fan service. We get the origin stories of some of these characters that people know and love.”
Playing the role of Boy/Peter is Terry Bell, in his Paramount debut.
“This ‘Peter Pan’ is a role I’ve wanted to play for a very long time,” he said. “I can’t remember exactly what production it was, but I was a very young actor and a ‘Peter Pan’ show was one of the first things I got a callback for. It didn’t end up booking it and I’ve sort of been circling ‘Peter Pan’ ever since. It’s one of the big reasons I’m very excited for this. I finally get my shot at the boy who won’t grow up. It’s very exciting for me.”
The show is very topical in that there are references and jokes and bits that are for the audience, Bell said.
“The nice thing about this show is that it has got something for everyone — Nate said this in our first rehearsal, and I think it’s a great way to describe it — it’s not a kids’ show but it is a show that is great for kids,” Bell said. “It is the type of thing that I think people who are older who grew up with ‘Peter Pan’ will find things to enjoy and people who don’t know anything about ‘Peter Pan’ will find things to enjoy.”
“I think another thing about the show that I really love is that it leans into the idea of storytelling as the mode of performance,” Cohen said. “We’re in a space of a group of storytellers who are constantly challenging our imagination. There’s this really fun energy of collective worldbuilding with the audience that I think is really exciting. There’s a lot of fun puppetry that I think is really cool and gives the actors a lot of fun things to play with.”
There’s a lot of action and choreography in the play, he said, including a duel and a couple of big fight scenes, Cohen said.
“There’s a lot of fun swashbuckling scenes,” he said.
Although the play is based on a children’s novel, it’s still a ride for grownups, he said.
“I saw it for the first time when I was in my mid-20s, having never read the books and absolutely loved it,” Cohen said. “Obviously, it has a lot of accessibility for younger people but I really think the story is about what happens to us as we grow up and how we change and how that impacts our lives and what it means to try to remember the joy of feeling a little less encumbered by the reality of the world. I think there’s really good things in it for everybody.”
Bell grew up in the Bolingbrook/Darien area and graduated from Hinsdale South High School. He started acting his freshman year of high school.
“I think Chicago is one of the greatest cities to start out as an actor. I always think of myself as really lucky that I’m from here,” he said. “Our acting community is top-notch. We’ve got some nationally- and world-renowned theaters right here, including Paramount. I’m proud to call Illinois home.”
Audiences should expect to have a great time watching “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Bell said.
“It’s a load of fun. People should expect to laugh a lot and have a great night at the theater.”
Cohen agreed.
“The thing that I find so beautiful and extraordinary about the play is that it really asks everyone in the room … to imagine the world the characters are living in and to find a way to make the story feel even more alive,” he said.
“For what people sometimes term as a children’s show, it’s a set of really beautiful, profound characters going through a series of both ridiculous but sometimes really scary and challenging situations. The cast are universally incredible and doing really beautiful work and I think people will be delighted to step into the world with them.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
‘Peter and the Starcatcher’
When: July 24-Sept. 1
Where: Paramount Theatre’s Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Tickets: $40-$55
Information: 630-896-6666; paramountaurora.com
