“Peter and the Starcatcher” will continue performance for an additional weekend, Oct. 19, 20 and 21, at 7 p.m. in the Trojan Center Theatre.
Student tickets are $5 with a Trojan I.D. and can be purchased at the box office in TC.
The play follows Peter Pan’s story before his adventures with Wendy and The Lost Boys, showing how his magical life began. In an epic tale of adventures on the high seas and the far-away shore of Mollusk Island, Peter and his new friend Molly fight off pirates and thieves, characters who may be familiar to beloved fans, in a mission to save a stolen treasure.
This play explains the origins of favorite characters like Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee and Wendy and entertains crowds with uproarious laughter.
“I think the animals were really well done … I think (the directors) were wanting to go more Peter Pan with it, you know, more fantasy instead of realistic,” said Morgan Grissette, a sophomore theater education major from Troy.
The play showcased Grissette’s own costume work for the mermaids, as well as her work on the props that were utilized to create a story-time effect.
“What we as a company hoped to do through the actors and the design — I really wanted to awaken and engage the imagination of the audience,” said Tori Lee Averett, chair of the department of theater and dance. “We aimed to do just enough that the audience would fill in the blanks, so everything wasn’t completely realized.
“What we wanted to do was engage the inner kid in everybody in the audience.”
Averett said that her cast not only engaged and connected well, but also seemed to be enjoying its own performance and expressed energy on stage that made the show more enjoyable to the audience.
Although it is not a musical, magical mermaids and pirate crews provide enough “vocal” entertainment for audience members to enjoy.
Micayla Johnston, a freshman theater major from Wetumpka, played Molly Aster. Johnston has enjoyed her time in the department this year and said that her involvement with “Peter and the Starcatcher” has been a gratifying and humbling experience, as she is the female lead in her first university performance.
“I felt like everyone’s energy was really high, and I felt very focused tonight,” Johnston said of the cast’s Friday night showing. “All of the people in this show are truly amazing.”
Audience members’ favorite scene, made evident by their enthusiasm during the performance, seemed to be the Act 2 Prologue: Mollusk Island. The scene is affectionately remembered as the “Mermaid Scene” for its comedic song medley and display of creative costuming.
“My favorite scene of the show is the scene between Peter and Molly which revisits those awkward middle school date moments,” Johnston said. “I think (moments like those are) really fun to play.”
“I enjoyed the story behind Peter and how he grew up to be the leader that he was,” said Camri Martin-Bowen, a senior nursing major from Wetumpka, who saw the play’s Friday night performance with friends.
“I really loved how they were able to use so little props, but still make the play amazing as a whole,” said Allen Henry, a sophomore business management major from Huntsville.
The department of theater and dance encourages all Troy students to come and support their talented peers by attending one of the remaining “Peter and the Starcatcher” performances.
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