Review of Peter and the Starcatcher

Did you ever wonder how Peter Pan came to inhabit Never Never Land? Or, for that matter, how an orphaned boy earned such a curious name? The Utah Shakespeare Festival answers these questions and more in a hilarious play called Peter and the Starcatcher http://www.bard.org/plays/peter2013.html

Peter and the Starcatcher is based on a novel by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson. USF does an outstanding job of bringing this delightful story to audiences in Southern Utah. Peter Pan, known only as “Boy,” is played by Rhett Guter, a talented actor/singer/dancer who also choreographed this enchanting production http://www.rhettguter.com/.

The USF production of Peter and the Starcatcher is populated with an amazing cast, including Quinn Mattfeld who does a rollicking portrayal of The Black Stache, aka Captain Hook http://www.bard.org/about/actors/mattfeld.html#.UkX0ZhxSxIg.

Mattfeld keeps the audience in stitches with outrageous antics and snarky commentary.

Betsy Mugavero is the lone female in a cast of scurvy pirates and politicians, playing the role of Molly Aster, a Starcatcher Apprentice http://betsymugavero-com.webs.com/. Through Betsy's efforts, Boy, later known as Peter Pan, is allowed to do the one thing that had thus far eluded him: enjoy the simple pleasure of just being a boy.

While Peter and the Starcatcher delivers ample laughs, it is speckled with moments that are genuinely poignant. Guter does and excellent job of portraying the pain of being alienated, enslaved and nameless. Without touching off a Spoiler Alert, suffice to say audiences will be cheering before the final curtain drops.

Peter and the Starcatcher is being performed in the Randall L. Jones Theatre until October 18, 2013. For ticket information, contact the Utah Shakespeare Festival http://www.bard.org/index.html.