Peter and the Starcatcher—Oregon Shakespeare Festival—Ashland, OR

                                              “Pure Imagination”

    This fantasy is adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, with music by Wayne Barker, from a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  It is directed by Lavina Jadhwani, music direction by Jesse Sanchez and choreography by Tanya Birl.  It is playing in repertory at the Bowmer Theatre in downtown Ashland, through November 1^st.  For more information, go to their site at www.osfashland.org or call 1-800-219-8161.

    “We are such stuff as dreams are made on…” and so, it is with all stories of the never-worlds of our imaginations.  But, like all tales, they have backstories, prologues and epilogues the authors may not have included.  In the case of Barrie’s classic, Peter Pan, many questions arise as to how it all began.  Such as, who are the models for these characters…how did they become who they are in literature…and what happened to them after the author has proclaimed, “The End.”

    Of course, the same can be said of our lives and the people we come in contact with, as we all have stories…and there are stories within stories…and parts of our stories inner-connect with others stories, too (Six Degrees of Separation theory).  And, with that in mind, don’t you think we should be treating each other better?!

    The tale is an imagined prequel to J.M. Barrie’s, Peter Pan…, in which we discover the origins of his name; how Hook got his…hook; where fairy dust comes from; how the Darling family fits into the Big Picture; and introducing us to the mermaids and the crock of this wonderful story, as well as the pirates, the lost boys and the beginnings of Neverland and Tinkerbelle.  There have been several versions of Peter Pan from the animated (Disney), to musicals; from early films to TV; to stage, live action movies, and a musical.

    This incarnation is set in the late 1800’s, with the regal, Lord Aster (Erica Sullivan), sailing on a ship called The Wasp, on business of Queen Victoria, led by the business-like, Captain Scott (Michael J. Hume).  Aster’s precocious daughter, Molly, (Grace Chan Ng), and her nanny, the fiesty, Mrs. Bumbrake (Regina Fernandez), who has an admirer in the kindly, but not-too-bright sailor, Alf (K. T. Vogt), sailing on a ship called, Neverland, captained by the devious, Slank (Cristofer Jean). He is also carrying illegal orphans aboard his vessel by the names of Ted (Cyndii Johnson), who is fascinated by food; Prentiss (Dan Lin), the unofficial leader of the pack; and a petulant Boy (Preston Mead), who was never given a name (soon to become the famous boy who never grew up).

    And, of course, to be a true pirate story, you must, by design, have, of course…pirates.  There is the wicked but inept, Black Stache (James Ryen), and his trusty sidekick, Smee (Brent Hinkley).  Then there are shipwrecked, treasure chests, mermaids, the great Crock god, a mysterious island, complete with natives, who’s Chief (Jeremy Gallardo) is a bit loco.  And when stardust is added to the mix, anything can happen, from floating in the air, to realizing your dreams, good or bad.  To tell more would be cheating, so I’ll leave you with this thought:  If you’ve ever wanted to “go home again,” to a place called Childhood, where your imaginations ran rampant, with no perceived boundaries, or hard edges, this is the place.  You’ll find it at the “second star to the right and straight on till morning!”

    This is a wondrous and very satisfying journey through the “windmills of your mind.”  The set (Regina Garcia) is very versatile, with little pockets everywhere, containing scraps and bits of the stored memory for this tale.  There are two musical production numbers…one with Mermaids, resembling a Busby Berkley musical, complete with elaborate costumes (Melissa Torchia) and dance routines (Birl).  And another resembling a Les Miz musical number (neither really having anything much to do with the story but fun to watch).  Jadhwani is a master at tying the pieces together and offering us an “awfully big adventure!”

    Fernandez has an amazing singing voice and puts it to good use here.  Vogt and Hinkley, thrill us with their comic antics.  And Ryen, as the prototype for Hook, is a marvel, as he chews his way through the scenery and has us in stitches at almost every line of his.  A marvelous time will be had by one and all so, gather round and let your imaginations soar!

    I highly recommend this production.  If you do see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

ASHLAND SPRINGS:  My friends and I always stay at this establishment, as it’s right next to OSF, has secured parking, and a healthy breakfast include in the price.  The staff is always friendly, open to any of your needs and full of information as to events going on in the vicinity.  I highly recommend this hotel, located in the center of town (212 E. Main St., 541-631-2010).  If you rather have something not so close to the action, try their sister resort, the Ashland Hills, about three miles, South of town.

www.AshlandSpringsHotel.com

As always, if you choose to stay there, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS