PLAYING WITH STAR STUFF AT THE GROVE THEATER
REVIEW: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
Opening the 2019 season for Domino One Productions is the swashbuckling play with music Peter and the Starcatcher adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. This play tells the story of how an unnamed orphan boy becomes the beloved Peter Pan we all know and love. Starcatcher also provides the backstories of other well-known characters such as Mrs. Darling, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and the lost boys—it’s fascinating to discover origin of these characters.
This is one of those plays that can be presented in so many different ways, ranging from a grand production with giant sets, projections, tons of props and special effects, to a more minimal creative presentation using tried-and-true theater magic to transport audiences to Neverland. Here, director Madelyne Heyman favors the latter style, with flairs of grandness sprinkled throughout. What Heyman has created in this modest backbox space is astounding—it’s presentational theater at its finest.
From start to finish we get the sense of being children again, building a fort in the living room only to have it become real with the power of our imagination. At Domino One’s Starcatcher audiences get to watch actors ‘play’ in the truest sense of the word. In the course of the evening we experience shipwrecks, underwater adventures, flying, sword fighting and a hurricane, all done with the cleverest of theater techniques.
The set design and art evoke nautical atmosphere that is able to seamlessly transport audiences to a jungle, bowels of a ship, a beach and a cave. There are even a few moments when dance is called for, moments, especially the act two opener “Mermaid Outta Me”, that add even more for the eyes to feast upon. As it’s a play with music, there’s also stellar music performances by the cast which are accompanied by a live two-pice band that includes Jake Anthony (piano) and Dan Ogrodnik (Percussion).
Adding to the visual splendor of the play is the high energy performances by a cast that’s able to create dynamic characters in every role. Susannah Corrington as Black Stache (aka Captain Hook) is remarkable, she completely reinvents this role into something that is less caricature and more genuine—it’s a treat every time she’s on stage. Mike Bowers performance as Mrs. Bumbrake (and the mermaid) makes for so many gut-busting moments, he’s in these roles one-hundred-percent and we can’t get enough. Ellie Oliver is the rock of the show with a performance that teeters back and forth between young adult and child—her struggle with adolescence makes us all want to never grow up.
For anyone who’s in need of a little star stuff in their life, Peter and the Starcatcheris the perfect play. Furthermore, Domino One Productions delivers everything you could ask for in a production of this charming play: a talented and energetic cast, inventive stage craft, and enough heart to make you believe you can fly.
TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION
WHEN
April 4th-14th, 2019
WHERE
The Grove Theater Center
1111 W Olive Ave Burbank CA 91506
TICKETS
$25 for General Admission
$20 for Student/Seniors
www.dominooneproductions.com/store
