(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- “To have faith is to have wings.” Ready to take flight with the second show of its 2022-2023 season, The Ritz Theatre Company presents Peter and the Starcatcher, the highly imaginative, Tony Award-winning play about the untold origins of Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Neverland. Directed by Ritz Associate Artistic Director Matthew Weil, the production runs at The Ritz from October 21st through November 6th.
“Most directors will tell you that we spend a good chunk of our artistic lives wrestling with the word ‘why’; why this piece, why this moment, and so on,” explains Mr. Weil when asked what he finds artistically inspiring about this particular play. “It’s very rare for the ‘how’ of a piece to be more invigorating than the ‘why.’ With Peter and the Starcatcher, however, this is exactly the case. Social relevance comes easy with themes and characters as timeless as the ones presented in Peter Pan. With that being said, I think the true magic and lasting impact of this piece is in its style of presentation. It’s theatre magic.”
Peter and the Starcatcher upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be “The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up” (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A wildly theatrical adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s best-selling novels, the play was conceived for the stage by directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers and written by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker. From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, the show playfully explores the depths of greed and despair and the bonds of friendship, duty, and love. Featuring a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters, this family-friendly romp uses ingenious stagecraft and limitless imagination to bring the story to life.
“It’s a piece like Peter and the Starcatcher that touches on what makes theatre such a unique and valuable artistic medium worth investment and preservation,” says Mr. Weil. “You can’t get an experience like Peter and the Starcatcher on Netflix or at the movie theater.”
Rounding out Mr. Weil’s creative team on this project are music and vocal director Kristy Joe Slough, set and lighting designer Jen Donsky, costume designer Megan Iafolla, stage manager Sara Viniar, and assistant stage manager Ashley Engelson. In relation to the cast, the production features Dylan Corbett as The Boy, Addison Clark as Molly Aster, Tommy Balne as Black Stache, Joe Carlucci as Smee, Zachary Moore as Prentiss, Elliot Colahan as Ted, Darryl Thompson Jr. as Lord Leonard Aster, AJ Klein as Bill Slank/Hawking Clam, Stephen Jackson as Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher, Nicholas French as Alf, Robert Repici as Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and Michael Arigot as Grempkin/Mack/Sanchez/Fighting Prawn. All are incredibly excited to bring this innovative, dynamic, spirited show to the Ritz stage and to share this story with audiences of all ages.
“It is my hope that the audience leaves the theater feeling lighter and more playful than when they entered,” concludes Mr. Weil. “We’re asking the audience to actively engage with their inner child, to be silly, to be fun and frivolous.”
Ticket Prices: General Admission — $30; Artist/Student Rush — $15. Tickets available online, over the phone, and at the box office.
The Ritz Theatre Company is located at 915 White Horse Pike Haddon Township, New Jersey.
PHOTOS: (TOP) Peter, played by Dylan Corbett; (BOTTOM) Black Stache, played by Tommy Balne
