Genesis of a Syndrome in 'Peter and The Starcatcher’

Matt D'Amico, Rick Holmes, Isaiah Johnson, Adam Chanler-Berat and Christian Borle ham it up in “Peter and The Starcatcher.” Photos courtesy of O&M Co.

BY TAMARA BECK

“I won’t grow up.”

That anthem to the freedom of childhood so resonates that there’s a syndrome named for the ever-young Peter Pan.

“Peter and The Starcatcher,” in an open run at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, tells the backstory of the young man behind the name. In this tale, the title character starts out as a nameless orphan Boy (Adam Chanler-Berat) imprisoned in the hold of a ship called Neverland. He is to be sold into slavery along with two other boys – Prentiss (Carson Elrod) and Ted (David Rossmer). It’s the pirate Black Stache (Christian Borle) who gives the captive his now-famous name.

Written by Rick Elice and based on a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, “Peter and The Starcatcher” is a bit of a good-natured muddle.

Kevin Del Aguila and Christian Borle in "Peter and The Starcatcher."

The entire cast takes genuine pleasure in the play’s silly puns and sophomoric hijinks. CB, especially, is comically gleeful in his vamping. Another standout is Teddy Bergman as Fighting Prawn, a royal mess of a king on the island where Neverland eventually docks. Serving as a backdrop for all of the zaniness are songs, though “Peter and The Starcatcher” is definitely a play rather than a musical.

Not exactly this reviewer’s cuppa, but “Peter and The Starcatcher” has an infectious, crowd-pleasing innocence.

Visit http://www.peterandthestarcatcher.com/ to learn more about "Peter and The Starcatcher."