Reviews

Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice

Only show reviews with written explanations

madisone's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ponch22's review

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5.0

Saw this twice—once on Broadway with most of the original cast & once in Bethlehem as part of its national tour. The Broadway production was fantastic while the tour was a little disappointing. At the time, I wasn't sure if the touring show was of lower quality or if it lost its magic simply because it wasn't new any more.

Last week, I was again in NYC & stopped by my favorite place—The Drama Book Shop. I noticed this Acting Edition of [b:Peter and the Star Catcher|20706653|Peter and the Starcatcher (Acting Edition)|Rick Elice|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407108225s/20706653.jpg|40026566] and read the first 25% of it while staying out of the heat.

I. Loved. It.

As I read it, I remembered the actors I saw, the musicians I heard, and the amazing Poor Theatre style of transforming the stage with a simple piece of rope. I have a feeling this play might be a difficult read for anyone who hasn't seen the show—there's so much wordplay and double casting, it'd be hard to follow. I'd probably recommend you check out [b:The Annotated Script|13624565|Peter and the Starcatcher The Annotated Script of the Broadway Play|Rick Elice|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470180751s/13624565.jpg|19228522] instead, which probably has pictures and descriptions of the set to help guide you through the story.

But for me, it was a wonderful journey back, remembering the fantastic Celia Keenan-Bolger as Molly and misremembering Christian Borle as the vicious Black Stache! (We had actually seen Matthew Saldivar in the role, but I can picture Borle in it!)

It also really makes me want to revisit [a:Dave Barry|6245|Dave Barry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1196398665p2/6245.jpg] & [a:Ridley Pearson|6244|Ridley Pearson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263049167p2/6244.jpg]'s original book series. Seems I read the first two books but never wrote a review for [b:Peter and the Shadow Thieves|9531|Peter and the Shadow Thieves (Peter and the Starcatchers, #2)|Dave Barry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441850204s/9531.jpg|3204657] so I guess I'd have to reread that before moving on to the next three... Decisions decisions...

erinlf_24's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

annabugs's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

yasmineiliana's review

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4.0

Super cute and fun! The physical comedy of the show is an absolute blast to read and I look forward to seeing it come alive on stage some day! I wish there were more female characters simply because I don’t see any real reason that there couldn’t have been a grander female presence beyond Molly in a *prequel* to Peter Pan. The journey that Peter goes through is so much fun, though, and his development is nothing shy of incredible.

lindserature's review

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3.0

Full disclosure: The high school in which I teach is doing this for their fall drama this year. We did the read-through today, and it's a lot of fun! Hilarious and touching, with allusions abound. It's also, however, confusing, and not all of it makes complete sense. Can't wait to see this onstage.