Peter and the Starcatcher, the award-winning stage
prequel to Peter Pan, will be presented by the UC
Davis Department of Theatre and Dance Feb. 27 through March 7,
2020.
It is based on the 2004 novel Peter and the
Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley
Pearson, and adapted for the stage by Rick Elice with music
by Wayne Barker. The play premiered in 2011 at the La Jolla
Playhouse in California, then transferred to Off-Broadway.
It opened on Broadway in April 2012 going on to win five Tony
Awards.
In the play, a young orphan, and his mates are shipped off from
Victorian England aboard a vessel with a mysterious trunk in the
captain’s cabin. At sea, the boys and a resourceful young girl
named Molly realize that the trunk contains a celestial substance
so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When
the ship is taken over by pirates, led by the fearsome Black
Stache, the real adventure begins.
Featuring 16 actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable and
hilarious characters, the family-friendly show uses elements
of pop-up books in the scenic design, steam punk in the
costuming, stop-action video, and projection elements that take
audiences on the magical journey.
The play is co-directed by Broadway veteran Mindy Cooper,
professor of theatre and dance, and Olivier Award winner Toby
Sedgwick, Granada Artist-in-Residence, who was director of
movement/horse choreographer for War Horse and
appeared in the original production.
“There are stories in the world that merit telling and retelling
for each generation. Peter Pan is one of those,”
said Cooper. “This smart, cunning rethinking of a classic tale
written for today’s audience is a joy to jump into. We are
bringing our own sense of excitement, humor and theatricality to
the work, collaborating with Toby Sedgwick and our exceptional
creative team.”
Performances are Feb. 27-29 and March 5-7 at 7 p.m., and 2 p.m.
on Feb. 29 and March 7 in the Main Theatre, Wright Hall.
General admission tickets are $18.50, faculty/staff tickets
are $17, and student/senior tickets are $12. Tickets may be
purchased at the UC Davis Ticket Office, located on the north
side of Aggie Stadium, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, by phone 530-
752-2471 during the same hours, or online at
theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
Broadway and London theatre veterans, designers, graduate
and undergraduate students are coming together to bring life to
the award-winning comic adventure “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
The cast has begun rehearsals and the shops are busy
building the scenery and costumes for the show. Scenic designer
Samantha Reno and costume designer Kikyou Yan have shared their
renderings to give you a preview of the production. The winter
quarter production will be performed Feb. 27-29 and March 5-7 in
the Main Theatre.
Mindy Cooper has had the privilege of spending
the last 40 years working as a dancer, choreographer, director,
producer and teacher. From dance companies (Twyla Tharp Dance,
Eliot Feld Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Thingsezisee’m Dance
Theater) to Broadway/Off-Broadway
(Chicago, Titanic, Song and Dance, Beauty and the
Beast, Dracula The Musical, Being Seen, The Eternal Space,
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, Live!, 50 Shades – The
Musical Parody, Soul Doctor, Wrong Mountain), her passion
for new works has always steered her career.
Toby Sedgwick trained at the Jacques Lecoq
School in Paris, where he founded The Moving Picture Mime Show,
which established itself as one of the innovators of “physical
theatre” throughout the world. He was part of Danny Boyle”s
creative team as director of movement and choreographer for the
Green and Pleasant Land and Industrial Revolution sequences of
the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. He won the 2008
Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for War
Horse and played Ted Narracott in the original production.
