Peter and the Star Catcher light up the Lyric Stage

Peter and the Star Catcher, now playing at the Lyric Stage, is a high-energy romp that is well worth an evening. The plot loosely forms a “pre-quel” to Peter Pan. We meet three orphan boys being shipped off to a tropic kingdom where they will be given to the king, who plans to serve them to his snakes. One of the boys is so abandoned that he has no name. Travelling on a faster boat to the same destination are Lord Aster and his plucky daughter Molly who are secretly carrying a trunk of “star stuff” that has magical powers for good or evil and Molly’s chaperone, Mrs. Bumbrake, hilariously played in drag by Will McGarrahan. Aware that Lord Aster has something valuable and determined to steal it is the pirate Black Stache and his bumbling henchman, Mr. Smee. The plot is less important than the witty dialog and shenanigans played to a musical accompaniment. Ed Hoopman as Stache has the best lines and hams it up hilariously. At the opening of the second act the entire cast come out dressed as mermaids to do a dance number, and later Will does double duty as another mermaid who starts the boy on his way to becoming Peter Pan. Plot twists abound, and the energetic cast never let up for a moment. Erica Spyres as Molly and Marc Pierre as Peter have great chemistry together. The show plays for another two weeks. Go see it.