Globe has a holiday hit with Peter Pan prequel
author: alexa lawlor | staff writer
Lauren May, Gaelan Beatty, and Kyle Kuchirka in Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo by Chris Graham, photo manipulation by Hayley Peters, photo courtesy of Globe Theatre.
Peter and the Starcatcher cast and creative team talk process and theatre magic.
As the Christmas season begins to gear up, Regina’s Globe Theatre is ready to open their annual Christmas show. To follow last year’s performances of The Snow Queen, this year they will be presenting Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to the story of Peter Pan. The performances will run from Nov 26, 2016, to Jan 1, 2017.
Peter and the Starcatcher was adapted into a play by Rick Elice, based on the novel written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. The play has been performed both on and off Broadway, after a premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in California.
As the synopsis of the show states from the Globe Theatre website, “This five-time Tony Award winner tells the story of a starcatcher’s apprentice and her mission to retrieve a trunk of precious ‘starstuff’ with the help of a young orphan boy named Peter – a boy who is destined to never grow up.”
Gaelan Beatty, playing the villain pirate, Black Stache, describes the show as a “fantastical pirate adventure.”
For the production at the Globe Theatre, the rehearsal period was two and a half intense weeks of eight-hour days. The director, Kelli Fox, explains that “the process on this show was unusual in that we started with more open ends and unanswered questions…we played, and experimented and discovered our show as we worked.”
In addition, Beatty describes the process as “a very organic experience where we, as a group, created the world and the story as storytellers.”
Set and costume designer Laura Gardner recalls entering the process with Fox “with some specific ideas of how to achieve certain moments, [but the two] also had fun brainstorming about what random objects that are found on a ship could represent props or scenery that are required in the script.”
Christmas is certainly one of the busiest times of the year. So, why should people take the time out of their busy schedules to see the show? From the opinion of an actor in the show, Beatty thinks “people should come and see the show because it’s a magical family adventure that should be fun for young and young at heart.” He also hopes that “the audience will take away a sense of wonder and flight mixed with a desire to go buy the book or at least go watch the Disney film.”
Gardner adds that she “can’t wait to see the audience discover this boisterous, silly, and clever play. There is something for everyone, jokes layered upon jokes, both verbal and physical.”However, if you are still unconvinced, take it from the director, Kelli Fox, “Come to have a laugh, and take away hope and joy.” She also says to “bring your imagination,” because it will be a fantastical journey.
If you’re spending the holidays in Regina, going to see Peter and the Starcatcher should definitely be something on your Christmas list! For tickets, you can contact the Globe Theatre box office at (306) 525-6400 or you can purchase them online at globetheatrelive.com.
