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| Otis Dhanji (Boy/Peter) - Benjin Maza (Ted) -Morgan Frazer (Prentiss) in "Peter and the Starcatcher) |
Written by Rick Elice – Music by Wayne Barker
Directed and designed by David Morton – Musical Direction by
James Dobinson.
Costume Design by Anna Cordingley -Movement Direction by Liesel
Zink.
Lighting Design by Ben Hughes – Sound Design by Matthew
Erskine.
Presented by Dead Puppet Society and co-producers in The
Canberra Theatre from October 15th to 27th , 2024.
Opening Night performance on October 24 reviewed by BILL
STEPHENS
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| The cast of "Peter and the Starcatcher" |
If you have ever lay awake at night wondering about the origins of the character Peter Pan, then Peter and the Starcatcher could be a cure for your insomnia. Then again it could just add to it.
This spectacular Dead Puppet Society production is overflowing
with amazing characters including a fighting prawn, a scotch salmon turned
mermaid, shipwrecked Italian chefs and a chorus line of singing/dancing mermaids
who provide just one of many highlights of this production.
How they feature in the transformation of orphan boy (Otis
Dhanji) who together with his two mates Prentiss (Morgan Francis) and Ted
(Benjin Maza) find themselves unwittingly imprisoned on a ship called Neverland, under
the command of brutal Captain Slank (Paul Capsis, delighting with a thousand
expressions, who also doubles as Hawking Clam on the Wasp), is something you
need to see for yourself to find out.
Also, on board the Neverland is Lord Leonard Astor (confusingly
but expertly portrayed by Alison Whyte) and his daughter, Molly Astor (a vivacious
and surprisingly athletic Olivia Deeble) who befriends the three orphans; together
with her nanny Mrs Bumbrake (former Canberra actor, Lucy Goleby).
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| Colin Lane (Black Stache) -Ryan Gonzales (Sanchez) - Lucy Goleby (Mrs Bumbrake) - Alison Whyte (Lord Aster) - Peter Helliar (Smee) in "Peter and the Starcatcher). |
The Neverland is pursued by another ship, the Wasp, captained by the dastardly Black Stache (Colin Lane, hilariously stealing the show at every opportunity) and henchman, Smee (a bemused and bewildered Peter Helliar) intent on stealing a trunk full of a magical substance called starstuff.
Molly’s father has been captured by Black Stache, who does
not know that the trunk of starstuff has been switched.
Yes, it is complicated and gloriously silly and gets even
sillier in Monty Pythonesque style, as the storyline pursues evermore outrageous
and unlikely situations demanding all common sense be abandoned.
A beautiful fairy-tale setting by director, David Morton, is
complimented by Ann Cordingley’s fanciful costumes and the magical lighting
design by Ben Hughes.
Onstage musicians under the musical direction of James
Dobinson join in the fun being whisked around the stage inhabited by astonishing
puppets which include the most magical crocodile ever.
Despite a long series of previews it was hard to escape the impression that in this meticulously rehearsed and delightfully entertaining production some of the large cast were still discovering the correct dynamic level for their characterisations.
This was especially true of Otis Dhanji as the orphan boy whose
strongly physical interpretation might have been more effective had he adopted a
more naturalistic approach to his role to separate his character from the
highly stylised performances adopted by the rest of the cast, to better express the
wonder felt by the boy to the events surrounding him.
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| The Cast of "Peter and the Starcatcher" |
Photos by Daniel Boud
This is a slightly extended version of the review first published in CITY NEWS on 25.10.24
