Peter and the Starcatcher

Anne, our PR director and I are obsessed with Smash. We always dissect each episode and ponder what might happen next every Tuesday morning. It's become a ritual. When it was announced that Christian Borle, who plays Tom on Smash, was going to star in the Broadway version of Peter and the Starcatcher, it was a no-brainer that we had to go together.

We went out for dinner before the show. She knew of this awesome hole-in-the-wall near the theater called Bar Centrale. To look at the entrance, you would think it was somebody's home. It looks just like any other brownstone, but people in community (not exactly sure what community that is) know about it. You walk up the steps and then you're in this cute, artsy restaurant. We had a great dinner with strong drinks.

We got to the theater about ten minutes before the curtain came up. We had front row seats in the mezzanine - a perfect few of the stage. It was also super nice that Anne paid for my ticket for my birthday. I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about the show. Up until the day before the show, I was under the impression that it was a musical. It wasn't until a saw a commercial for it and the announce said that it was the hottest new "play" on Broadway. Huh? You mean no singing and dancing and chorus boys? :-(

But I am happy to report that the show was fantastic. Rather than retell the synopsis, I'll just copy it from Broadway.com (that's consider citing, right? Ugh. I guess I should do a bibliography too).

Peter and the Starcatcher provides a humorous and fantastical backstory for the beloved character of Peter Pan and his arch-nemesis Captain Hook. In this wickedly imaginative play, we meet a poor orphaned child on the high seas simply called Boy because, in the absence of a mother and a father, he was never given a name. His sad and lonely world is turned upside down when he meets Molly. The daughter of famous Starcatcher Lord Astor, our heroine is on a mission to save the world and protect a treasure trunk filled with magical star stuff from getting into the hands of evil and greedy pirate Black Stache. As they travel aboard the Neverland ship headed for a faraway land, Molly and Boy learn about love, friendship and forge an unbreakable bond

The thing that struck me was the HUMOR in the show. I was cracking up all the time. There were contemporary jokes, fart jokes, and just good old-fashioned slap-stick comedy. Christian Borle was a maniac. On Smash, he is so muted and serious. I was shocked to see him jumping and screaming and being silly. I loved it! There were two or three songs and they were hilarious. It was a very fun, whimsical show that also had a heart. The actor who played Peter made the audience feel the pain of being an orphan with no name. Flawless!